title: Hepatitis C in urban and rural public safety workers.
abstract: A sample of 719 Oregon public safety personnel (police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers) was tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody after completing a risk questionnaire. Seven of nine positive enzyme immunoassay tests (78%) were confirmed with recombinant immunoblot assay, yielding confirmed prevalence estimates of 1.2% (95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 2.8%) among the 406 firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and 0.7% (95% confidence interval, 0.1 to 2.6%) in 274 corrections personnel. No cases were observed in the 29 participating police officers. Self-reports of the number of workplace exposures to blood were not associated with HCV positivity, and the number of years of public safety employment seemed to be slightly less for HCV-positive subjects. Two of the seven (28.6%) HCV-positive individuals reported having at least one nonoccupational risk factor (odds ratio, 4.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 27.1), suggesting the greater relative importance of nonoccupational exposures.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Occupational & Environmental Toxicology, Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Mailcode L606, Portland, OR 97201-3098, USA. rischite@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rischitelli
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McCauley
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lasarev
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mahoney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009922:Oregon; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012449:Safety; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*