Surveillance of HIV exposure and postexposure prophylaxis among health care workers in Greece.
OBJECTIVE
Many developed countries have implemented surveillance systems for monitoring occupational exposure to HIV. The aim of the present study was to analyze surveillance data on HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) for health care workers (HCWs) in Greece.


METHODS
All data reported to the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention between January 1996 and June 2005 were analyzed. SAMPLE AND MEASUREMENT: 188 reported occupational exposures to HIV were analyzed, retrospectively.


RESULTS
Most exposures were in the physicians (37.8%), followed by the nursing personnel (18.6%). Nearly 38% of the HCWs were males and the predominant type of biological material involved in the exposure was blood (74.5%). Two drugs were used for PEP in 23.4% of the HCWs, and 3 drugs in 66.5% of the reported cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Greek guidelines provide guidance for treating HCWs after occupational exposure to HIV. In our study, antiretroviral treatment, a three-drug regimen in the majority of the cases, was prescribed after evaluation of specially appointed physicians. The surveillance system of occupational exposure to HIV in HCWs should be further developed and enhanced in order to monitor and evaluate the risk factors surrounding the incidents.
Konte
Vasileia
V
HIV Office, Hellenic Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece.
Nikolopoulos
Georgios
G
Raftopoulos
Vasilios
V
Pylli
Magda
M
Tsiara
Chrissa
C
Makri
Efraxia
E
Paraskeva
Dimitra
D
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents