Hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and other blood-borne infections in healthcare workers: guidelines for prevention and management in industrialised countries. Issue 7 (18th June 2008)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: FitzSimons, D; François, G; De Carli, G; Shouval, D; Prüss-Üstün, A; Puro, V; Williams, I; Lavanchy, D; De Schryver, A; Kopka, A; Ncube, F; Ippolito, G; Van Damme, P
• Is Part Of: Occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 65:Issue 7(2008)
• Page Start: 446
• Page End: 451
• Publication Date: 2008-06-18
• Subjects: Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; 616.980305
• DOI: 10.1136/oem.2006.032334
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1351-0711

Abstract

Abstract : The Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB) convened a meeting of international experts from the public and private sectors in order to review and evaluate the epidemiology of blood-borne infections in healthcare workers, to evaluate the transmission of hepatitis B and C viruses as an occupational risk, to discuss primary and secondary prevention measures and to review recommendations for infected healthcare workers and (para)medical students. This VHPB meeting outlined a number of recommendations for the prevention and control of viral hepatitis in the following domains: application of standard precautions, panels for counselling infected healthcare workers and patients, hepatitis B vaccination, restrictions on the practice of exposure-prone procedures by infected healthcare workers, ethical and legal issues, assessment of risk and costs, priority setting by individual countries and the role of the VHPB. Participants also identified a number of terms that need harmonisation or standardisation in order to facilitate communication between experts.