title: An assessment of hepatitis C virus infection among health-care workers of the National Cancer Institute of Naples, Southern Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As many people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are asymptomatic, HCV infection could spread easily among the health-care workers of the National Cancer Institute of Naples (especially before the identification of HCV and in the absence of good, effective preventative measures, e.g. sterile syringe use, gloves, protective glasses).
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to determine whether there is a transmission risk for HCV infection from patient to health-care worker, we carried out a cross-sectional study of a cohort of National Cancer Institute health-care workers in Naples, Southern Italy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The chi2-test was not significant; we did not find any significant risk for HCV in the 'other untrained staff' group [odds ratio (OR) 2.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4-10.9] or in the health-care workers group (OR 1.6; 95% CI 0.4-7.0). In the health-care worker subgroups, doctors were the reference category because of the low prevalence of HCV in this subgroup (3.3%). A non-significant association was found in the professional nurses group (OR 2.7; 95% CI 0.8-8.8), as well as in the categories of technicians and biologists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No excessive risk was found among the health-care workers as a whole or among the different categories of personnel, confirming that health-care employees have benefited sufficiently from preventative measures.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute of Naples, G. Pascale Foundation, Via M. Semmola Naples, Italy. epidemiologia.int@tin.it
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montella
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crispo
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grimaldi
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruffolo
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ronga
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Izzo
authors.forename: Angelo A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mastro
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment