Hepatitis C. New guidelines on precautions, follow-up.
An OR team has a greater chance of operating on a patient infected with hepatitis C than on a patient with HIV or hepatitis B. Many patients with HCV aren't critically ill, and the team may not know a patient is infected. HCV is more common than many think--an estimated 3.5 million people in the US are infected. The consequences are grave. For most, infection is lifelong. At least 85% become chronically infected. Chronically infected individuals are at risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer. Unfortunately, not much can be done to prevent transmission. There is no vaccine and not much in the way of treatment. In recent weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and professional societies have tried to address workers' concerns with new recommendations that, although they don't provide easy answers, offer added guidance.
D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000592:standards*; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000592:standards*; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016635:Universal Precautions