Juan Maeso

Juan Maeso was an anesthesiologist who worked in Valencia, Spain. He gained notoriety for being responsible for the largest Hepatitis C outbreak in the region, infecting 275 patients, primarily at the Casa de la Salud and Hospital La Fe. These patients had no known risk factors and were infected with a rare strain of the virus (genotype 1 subtype A). Maeso was convicted and sentenced to 1,933 years in prison for the mass contagion. Recently, news outlets reported his death at the age of 84. He had been released on parole in March 2023 after serving over 15 years due to his deteriorating health. His death marks the end of a controversial figure whose actions had a devastating impact on hundreds of lives and significantly impacted the Valencian healthcare system.