Hepatitis C virus infection in health-care settings: medical and ethical implications.
Hepatitis C is a major public health issue. It infects about 200 million people worldwide and is a major cause of chronic liver disease. Its transmission in medical facilities is a topic of increased concern, as outbreaks of the disease had raised the attention of media and medical authorities. To date, evidence suggests that infection from in which a health-care worker is involved is mostly result of bad injecting practices as well as the result of shared medical devices. Furthermore, the infection caused by physicians is rare and very few well documented cases exist on the literature. Among countries, different definitions and legislation exist, in that mode that the responsibility of this issue almost is an obligation of individual institutions. Nonetheless, Hepatitis C virus transmission in medical facilities is an important source of new cases, and as treatments options are very limited, it's recommendable that institutions as well as governments implement policies to avoid Hepatitis C spread in a almost fully preventable setting.
Bosques-Padilla
Francisco Javier
FJ
Facultad de Medicina y Centro Regional para el Estudio de Enfermedades Digestivas, Hospital Universitario Dr. José Eleuterio González, UANL, Monterrey, N.L. México. fbosques58@hotmail.com
Vázquez-Elizondo
Genaro
G
Villaseñor-Todd
Ana
A
Garza-González
Elvira
E
Gonzalez-Gonzalez
José Alberto
JA
Maldonado-Garza
Héctor Jesús
HJ
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D006291:Health Policy; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors