Infection prevention in healthcare settings is a topic of key importance, particularly for health workers in Sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a rising concern about Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infections. Specifically, recent studies have established that between 40–65% of such infections among healthcare workers (HCWs) are a result of occupational exposures, due to contact with contaminated blood and body fluids of patients.
This danger is particularly pronounced in Ghana, where there’s been a documented increase in occupational exposure to blood and body fluids. However, the relationship between self-reported exposures and serological evidence of exposure still remains unknown. This relationship forms the basis of a recent analytic cross-sectional survey, aimed at assessing DNA-based evidence (serological) of HBV exposures against self-reported exposures, among Ghanaian HCWs.
The findings of this large-scale survey, which included 340 HCWs, showed that self-reported exposure to HBV was 63%, whereas DNA-based proof (Anti-HBc) of lifetime exposure to HBV was just 8.2%. It was also found that female HCWs reflecting 60% were less likely to be exposed to HBV than their male counterparts. Furthermore, HCWs without proper training on the prevention of blood-borne infections exhibited nearly three times the odds of HBV exposure in their lifetime compared to their trained counterparts. This alarming discrepancy underlines the urgent need for more robust training measures in infection prevention techniques for all healthcare workers.
Also worthy of note is the fact that Hepatitis B infection remains a leading cause of mortality globally. It presents a major public health problem due to its associated severe complications, such as liver cancer and cirrhosis. HCWs are at a significant risk due to frequent exposure, a risk further compounded by their lower adherence to life-saving HBV preventive interventions such as vaccination, Post-exposure prophylaxis uptake, and standard precautionary practices. In the healthcare setting, transmission most commonly occurs via needlestick or sharp injury.
Evidence from the study indicated that almost 50% of HCWs have had a percutaneous exposure to HBV, underscoring the need for preventive measures and infection control training extensions aimed at curbing this trend. Disconcertingly, despite the high exposure rate to HBV and other bloodborne pathogens, several less-than-optimal HBV preventive practices remain a challenge in the healthcare sector. To address this public health crisis and safeguard health professionals against Hepatitis B exposure and infection, strategies need to include direct interventions for preventing occupational exposures to HBV, alongside regular and mandatory training on infection prevention techniques.
Source: https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-09703-4