Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Health Care Workers

Background and aims: Parenteral route is the principalmode of transmission of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Healthcare workers are at risk of infection with HCV. Aim ofstudy was to estimate seroprevalence of HCV amongsthealth care workers and identify possible risk factors ofHCV infection. Materials and Methods: 355 health care workers were selected from July 2005 to June 2006 working in different departments of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Among them 43.5% were doctors, 32.1% nurses, 11.8% ward boys, 5.9% operation theatre staffs (OT staffs), and 6.8% others. Sera were tested for HCV antibodies by ELISA. Data analyzed by SPSS 10.0 version. Results: Mean age was 31.56±7.4 years. Males were 51.4% and females 48.6%. Anti-HCV was positive in 5(1.4%) cases out of 355. Most prone to HCV infection were nurses (3) followed by doctor (2). No ward boy or OT staff was affected. Previous surgical (80%) and dental procedures (60%) were the main risk factors than recipients of blood transfusion (20%), intravenous drug users (20%), and multiple sexual exposures (20%). Conclusions: Nurses are more prone to HCV infection. Surgical procedures are the main risk factors for acquiring HCV infection. Proper sterilization of surgical instruments is recommended.