Hepatitis B surveillance: 4-year survey of staff in a National Blood Transfusion Service.
The prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HBs in personnel of the Canadian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) during 1979 was not found to be significantly different from that of staff first employed in 1978-1979 or from that found among voluntary blood donors. Between 1976 and 1979, 2525 individuals were tested, of whom 13 seroconverted to HBsAg-positive; 54% of these cases appeared to be accident-related. During the same period 29 staff developed anti-HBs; of these 21% were apparently accident-related. Actual rates of seroconversion were not calculated because of staff turnover. The data suggest that BTS employees do not constitute a 'high-risk' group.
D001771:Blood Banks; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002170:Canada; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012011:Red Cross; D012306:Risk
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens