9 Felony Charges Filed Over Flu Shots

Dec. 31, 2003
By Leslie Fulbright
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

King County prosecutors yesterday filed nine felony charges against a Bellevue counselor for administering hundreds of flu vaccines without a license.

Shahid Hussain Sheikh, 45, owns MedSources, a company that provided flu vaccinations to the public, but prosecutors said he was not licensed to do so.

He faces 10 counts of unlicensed practice of a profession: one misdemeanor and nine felonies. Arraignment was set for Jan. 7 in King County Superior Court. If convicted, Sheikh would face one to five years in prison, said Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the prosecutors office.

Sheikh was free yesterday, but officials expected him to surrender to authorities. Prosecutors were planning to ask that Sheikh be held on $1 million bail, calling him a flight risk because he allegedly keeps large amounts of cash and is not a native of the U.S. Sheikh originally is from Pakistan, and he is a U.S. citizen.

Yesterday, state Health Department officials said that while Sheikh's alleged crimes are serious, the public should not be overly concerned. The risk of people getting sick from shots Sheikh provided is relatively small, said Jo Hofmann, a state epidemiologist for communicable diseases.

To verify credentials
Patients can check with the state Health Department to ensure a provider is credentialed and in good standing. The phone number is 360-236-4700 or online at:

https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/hpqa1/
Application/Credential_Search/profile.asp

Anyone interested in getting a flu shot should call a health-care provider or a local clinic. State officials say the shots are more readily available. "This year, we are experiencing a national flu epidemic and there is a shortage of flu vaccinations," King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng said at a news conference.

"Our public-health system is centered on public trust. This case involves a huge violation of public trust."

MedSources vaccinated approximately 700 people in the past several months. Prosecutors allege Sheikh also operated offices in other states.

Authorities were alerted to Sheikh's operation when a contract employee in Idaho told them Sheikh had asked her to cut single doses of vaccine into three doses and increase the price from $25 to $45. She refused.

Several vials of vaccine from Sheikh's office will be tested by the Food and Drug Administration, but so far there is no evidence that it was an improper vaccination, officials said.

Anyone concerned about the shot should call their doctor, Hofmann said. It is safe to get another vaccine.

Prosecutors said Sheikh advertised to businesses and individual people that he had ample flu shots just as worries about an early flu season were high and supplies of the shots became scarce. He traveled to businesses to give shots and administered them in his now-closed Bellevue clinic, on 116th Avenue Northeast, charging papers say.

A Seattle television station grew suspicious after Sheikh gave shots to 138 employees and boasted of an unlimited supply. The station found Sheikh had no license. After the news report, Bellevue police got dozens of calls from worried citizens.

Police searched Sheikh's offices Dec. 18 and seized flu-shot posters, a few hundred used needles, a doctor's smock, 144 filled syringes that had expired in June and consent forms from several businesses. Sheikh's Seattle attorney, Allen Ressler, yesterday admitted there is evidence to support the charges. But Ressler said Sheikh knew how to administer the vaccinations. He said Sheikh owned and operated schools that certified people as medical assistants and taught them how to administer vaccines.

"It is a technical violation, not a public-health risk," Ressler said. "Despite the claims of the prosecutor, no one received an outdated vaccine or an inappropriate dosage. No one complained of health problems and no one has said they caught the flu."

Ressler said old needles and outdated vials in the office were being stored for a company to dispose of them after flu season.

Meanwhile, the state Health Department has charged Sheikh with unprofessional conduct. State officials are reviewing records to identify locations where Sheikh provided vaccines and plans to offer more recommendations later to anyone who received a shot.

Police are still investigating.

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