Suspect in hepatitis C outbreak wrote suicide note

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) ? A traveling medical technician accused of causing a hepatitis C outbreak in New Hampshire wrote a suicide note saying he "couldn't handle this stress anymore" the week before his arrest, according to a police report.

David Kwiatkwoski was arrested last week at a Massachusetts hospital six days after police found him intoxicated in a hotel room scattered with prescription pills, according to police in Marlborough, Mass. Along with those new details of Kwiatkowski's recent past, his work history stretching back more than five years also continues to be investigated, though health officials say connecting him to hepatitis C cases on other states could be difficult.

The head of Arizona's state health lab said tests of people possibly exposed to hepatitis C back in 2009 and 2010 ? when Kwiatkowski worked in two Arizona hospitals ? could indicate whether they have the disease but not how they got it.

The virus mutates within the body, so linking any positive test results to Kwiatkowski would be more difficult over time, particularly past one year, said Victor Waddell, who has a doctorate in molecular biology and genetics.

"It's going to be very difficult if not impossible," Waddell said.

It's also unclear when Kwiatkowski became infected. He told authorities he was diagnosed in May; investigators say he has been infected since at least June 2010. In addition to Arizona, he worked in Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania before being hired by Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire in April 2011.

Kwiatkowski, 33, is accused of stealing anesthetic drugs from the hospital's cardiac catheterization lab and contaminating syringes used on patients. Kwiatkowski, who is being held on federal drug charges, told authorities he did not steal or use drugs.

Federal authorities previously indicated that Kwiatkowski might have tried to harm himself in the days before his arrest July 19. The Marlborough police report includes new details, including a list of six prescription drugs that were found in his hotel room.

According to the police report, first reported by The MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass., there also was a note that read, "please call Kerry and let her know I passed away. Tell her I couldn't handle this stress anymore."

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Associated Press Writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix, Ariz., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspect-hepatitis-c-outbreak-wrote-suicide-note-155119813.html

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