Bloodborne pathogen exposure risk among surgeons in sub-Saharan Africa.
To document the frequency and circumstances of bloodborne pathogen exposures among surgeons in sub-Saharan Africa, we surveyed surgeons attending the 2006 Pan-African Association of Surgeons conference. During the previous year, surgeons sustained a mean of 3.1 percutaneous injuries, which were typically caused by suture needles. They sustained a mean of 4.1 exposures to blood and body fluid, predominantly from blood splashes to the eyes. Fewer than half of the respondents reported completion of hepatitis B vaccination, and postexposure prophylaxis for human immunodeficiency virus was widely available. Surgeons reported using hands-free passing and blunt suture needles. Non-fluid-resistant cotton gowns and masks were the barrier garments worn most frequently.
Phillips
Elayne Kornblatt
EK
International Healthcare Worker Safety Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. ekp2e@virginia.edu
Owusu-Ofori
Alex
A
Jagger
Janine
J
D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D003625:Data Collection; D013502:General Surgery; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010820:Physicians
D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines