Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection in healthcare workers

Abstract

Approximately 3 million healthcare workers per year receive an injury with an occupational instrument, with around 2000000 exposures to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 1000000 to hepatitis C virus (HCV). Although an effective HBV vaccine has been available since the early eighties, and despite the worldwide application of universal vaccination programs started in the early nineties, HBV still remains a prominent agent of morbidity and mortality. There is no vaccine to limit the diffusion of HCV infection, which progresses to chronicity in the majority of cases and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide due to a chronic liver disease. Healthcare workers are frequently exposed by a mucosal-cutaneous or percutaneous route to accidental contact with human blood and other potentially infectious biological materials while carrying out their occupational duties. Mucosal-cutaneous exposure occurs when the biological material of a potentially infected patient accidentally comes in contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes or mouth or with the skin of a healthcare worker. Percutaneous exposure occurs when an operator accidentally injures himself with a sharp contaminated object, like a needle, blade or other sharp medical instrument. About 75% of the total occupational exposure is percutaneous and 25% mucosal-cutaneous, the risk of infecting a healthcare worker being higher in percutaneous than in mucosal-cutaneous exposure. All healthcare workers should be considered for HBV vaccination and should meticulously apply the universal prophylactic measures to prevent exposure to HBV and HCV.

Hepatitis C virus exposure rate among health-care workers in rural Lower Egypt governorates

“…[16] Based on the four case control studies, the anti-HCV prevalence in HCWs is comparable with that of the general populations of the same country [17][18][19][20] In 2008, a cross-sectional study was performed on 1,770 HCWs at Cairo and the prevalence of anti-HCV was found to be 8%. [21] This was comparable to the anti-HCV prevalence in the general populations of Cairo governorate in 2008.…”

Hepatitis B virus genotype E infection among Egyptian health care workers

“…[3] Worldwide, the HBsAg and anti-HBc frequencies in HCWs range from 0.1-8.1% and from 6.2-73.4% respectively. [14] Our findings indicate that exposure to HBV infection in the health care setting is significantly high, but exposure was not followed by chronic infection, mostly due to the adulthood infection.…”

Hepatitis B virus infection and the risk of liver disease progression in type 2 diabetic patients with potential nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a retrospective, observational, cohort study in the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink

“…With respect to HBV, health-care workers often have a higher prevalence of serological evidence of past or present infection, which refl ects a higher cumulative risk of infection during their lifetime (105). With respect to HCV, the higher risk of infection does translate into a higher prevalence (106), which could be taken into account while defi ning population groups that should be tested for HCV infection.…”