International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health

Hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency viruses infection: awareness and universal precautions in Kassala, eastern Sudan

Background: Health care workers are at higher risk to be infected by the blood borne pathogens.

Aim: To investigate the awareness and the universal precautions regarding hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency viruses.

Method: A cross sectional survey of health care workers carried out during April and through June 2011 at Kassala hospital, eastern Sudan.

Results: Among 143 participants 86% knew the different mode of transmission; however small proportion 5.6% claimed that HIV and/or HBV were not preventable infections, only 50.3% were knowledgeable regarding the symptoms of HIV/HBV and 53.7% knew the possibility of the association between HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Less than half (46.9%) of the respondents mentioned that they always wear gloves when get in contact with the patient’s blood and likewise 49% of the workers recapped the needle after its use. In this study awareness and universal precautions regarding blood borne pathogens were significantly varied among the different health care workers.

Conclusion: Thus at present, in our setting without a program for occupational safety the health care workers are going to face an epidemic of blood borne infectious diseases.

Author(s): Fatma Abbas, Tajeldin M. Abdallah, Mamoun Mgzoub1, AbdelAziem A. Ali

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