Hepatitis B and health workers

Hepatitis B is a profound occupational contagion amongst healthcare workers performing exposure prone procedure (EPP) and patients are potentially at risk from infected health care workers performing EPP. Only about one third of those acutely infected with Hepatitis B exhibit jaundice. One third are asymptomatic and one third only experience a mild flu-like illness in the absence of jaundice. About one per cent experience a severe fatal illness. The absence of profound clinical symptoms is why serological testing of clinicians carrying out EPP is such an essential control measure in the clinical environment. Concerning HBsAg, Anti-HBs and Total ant-HBc :- HBsAg +ve Total Anti-HBs -ve Total anti-HBc +ve is consistent with chronic or acute infection. Acute infection would likely also see significantly raised IgM levels. HBsAg -veTotal Anti-HBs +ve Total anti-HBc +ve is consistent with past resolved infection HBsAg -ve Total Anti-HBs +ve Total anti-HBc -ve is indicative of past successful immunisation HBsAg -ve Total Anti-HBs -ve Total anti-HBc -ve may be the profile of a non-responder who has been vaccinated. However the person may have immunity mediated by memory cells and either be significantly immune or only suffer an attenuated infection. IgM ant-HBc may remain elevated for six months after infection Heath Care Workers with less than 10 mIU/mL ant-HBs can perform EPP if shown to be non-infectious via another assay. Three dose vaccine schedules at 0,1 and 6 months are available as well as 0 and 1 month two dose schedules for adults

Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B is transmitted when body fluid from a person infected with the hepatitis B virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. 6% of adult become chronically infected as a sequel to acute infection (which may well be assymptomatic) The vaccination is effective.