How to avoid catching Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B or serum hepatitis is caught by coming into direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids from an infected person. The most at risk groups of this infection are Hospital and emergency service workers, the sexual partners of an infected individual and intravenous drug users who share needles.

There is a vaccine available for the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and this should be offered to all at risk groups. In addition a blood test, to ensure sero-conversion, should be carried out about one month post the final vaccination. An annual blood test to monitor the levels of antibodies of at risk hospital personnel is recommended to ensure an adequate level of immunity is maintained.

The risk of a surgeon or other surgical personnel getting HBV from a patient is greater than the risk of an infected surgeon infecting a patient. However is advisable for all surgeons and dentists to be screened for the virus and if found to be infected appropriate safe guards such as reinforced gloves be used when operating on patients. These cut resistant gloves prevent accidental punctures by scalpels or bone shards during an operation. Such gloves should also be worn by the surgeon when operating on a Hepatitis B positive patient.

Care should be taken when giving first aid to anyone who is bleeding. Pairs of latex gloves stored with first aid kits will prevent the care giver becoming contaminated with a patients blood. Such gloves in various sizes should be carried in all emergency service vehicles.

When cleaning up spillages of blood or other bodily fluids protective rubber gloves should be worn. Household bleaches such as Domestos will inactivate the virus and should be used in such clean up procedures.

Avoid touching discarded contaminated sharps such as syringe needles with the hands. Syringe needles should be discarded into specialised sharps disposal containers. This is particularly important where the needle may have been used by an IV drug user as the incidence of Hepatitis B in such individuals is high. The provision of a safe needle exchange for drug users has been seen to lower the incidence in this risk group.

Where contamination of the skin with any bodily fluid from an unknown person or someone known to be carrying the virus the area affected should be washed immediately. If the fluid could have entered through the skin via a cut or puncture wound then medical advice should be sought. If the risk of infection is high then gamma globulin injections may be necessary or a course of Hepatitis B vaccination started.

Hepatitis B can also be caught by sexual intercourse with an infected person. The use of condoms when indulging in sex can prevent infection by this route.