The increasing rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the community means that there is increased risk of occupational exposure for healthcare workers. In metropolitan hospitals in Victoria, we found that 80-150 healthcare workers have occupational exposures from HCV-infected patients annually. As there is a 1.8%-3% risk of transmission of HCV from a needlestick injury, two to five health...

BACKGROUND This survey was conducted to provide national incidence rates and risk factors for exposure to blood among paramedics. The present analysis assesses reporting of exposures to employers. METHODS A questionnaire was mailed in 2002-2003 to a national sample of paramedics selected using a two-stage design. Information on exposure reporting was obtained on the two most recent exposures ...

be substantial and may increase with the long-term treatment of associated serious infections (Lee et al 2005). The incidence of needlestick injury is under-reported (Wilburn and Eijkemans 2004). Approximately 75% of these injuries are thought to be preventable by informing and educating healthcare professionals on the appropriate procedures to minimise the risks associated with handling and di...

INTRODUCTION Healthcare workers (HCW) are exposed to infectious agents. Disease surveillance is therefore needed in order to foster prevention. METHODS The data of the compensation board that covers HCWs of non-governmental healthcare providers in Germany was analysed for a five-year period. For hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, the period analysed was extended t...

BACKGROUND Percutaneous exposure incidents (PEIs) and blood splashes on the skin of health care workers are a major concern, since they expose susceptible employees to the risk of infectious diseases. We undertook this study in order to estimate the overall incidence of such injuries in a newly founded tertiary hospital, and to evaluate possible changes in their incidence over time. METHODOLO...