Hepatitis B

Do you know what Hepatitis B is and how it affects the body?

Hepatitis B is a serious disease that can cause liver failure and liver cancer. Hepatitis B can be a silent infection with no symptoms, or, it can be an acute illness which usually only lasts a few weeks and then the liver returns to normal. Chronic hepatitis B however is a more serious illness and it may last for the rest of the person’s life causing permanent liver damage. Hepatitis B is considered chronic when the illness has lasted longer than 6 months. Hepatitis B can be diagnosed with a blood test. The blood test looks for the presence of the hepatitis B virus. If the result of the blood test is positive, then further tests will be carried out by a specialist.

Do you know how Hepatitis B is spread?

Hepatitis B is spread through any of the following routes:

	Contaminated blood and blood products
	Sexual activity with a person who has Hepatitis B
	From an infected mother to her child during the delivery process
	Sharing an infected persons toothbrush or razor

Is there a vaccine available?

An effective vaccine became available in 1982 and is offered to those people who are at increased risk of Hepatitis B infection because of their lifestyle, occupation or other risk factors such as close contact with a person who is a carrier of the virus.

To understand more about high risk groups see www.sexualhealthmatters.com

If you are in an occupation where you have direct contact with blood or blood stained body fluids or with patients tissues or at risk of injury from blood-stained sharp instruments or can be deliberately injured or bitten by patients, you should contact your Occupational Health Department or General Practitioner for the Hepatitis B vaccine.

Sharps injuries at work

Needlestick injuries are the most common occupationally-acquired blood-borne infections in healthcare workers. The majority of these injuries occur after the needle has been used for e.g. after an injection and blood taking. The highest activity where a sharps injury occurs is re-capping needles and it is estimated that 25-30% of sharps injuries occur this way. Therefore the safe disposal of sharp instruments is paramount. Check out safe disposal of sharps.

The occupational transmission risk for Hepatitis B following injury with a sharp instrument is 1 in 3.

This is compared to Hepatitis C with the second highest risk of transmission, 1 in 30 and HIV 1 in 300.