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The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on July 21, 2005
The European Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/eurpub/cki032
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.
Received February 10, 2004
Accepted July 5, 2004

Article

An assessment of hepatitis C virus infection among health-care workers of the National Cancer Institute of Naples, Southern Italy

Maurizio Montella 1*, Anna Crispo 2, Maria Grimaldi 2, Pasquale Ruffolo 3, Domenico Ronga 4, Francesco Izzo 5, and Angelo A. Mastro 5

1 Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute of Naples, ‘G. Pascale’ Foundation, Via M. Semmola Naples, Italy; Cancer Registry (R.T.P.), Campania Region, Italy
2 Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute of Naples, ‘G. Pascale’ Foundation, Via M. Semmola Naples, Italy
3 Thoracic Surgery Unit, National Cancer Institute of Naples, ‘G. Pascale’ Foundation, Via M. Semmola Naples, Italy
4 Transfusional Centre, National Cancer Institute of Naples, ‘G. Pascale’ Foundation, Via M. Semmola Naples, Italy
5 Surgery Unit ‘D’, National Cancer Institute of Naples, ‘G. Pascale’ Foundation, Via M. Semmola Naples, Italy

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Maurizio Montella, E-mail: epidemiologia.int{at}tin.it


  Abstract

Background: As many people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are asymptomatic, HCV infection could spread easily among the health-care workers of the National Cancer Institute of Naples (especially before the identification of HCV and in the absence of good, effective preventative measures, e.g. sterile syringe use, gloves, protective glasses). Methods: In order to determine whether there is a transmission risk for HCV infection from patient to health-care worker, we carried out a cross-sectional study of a cohort of National Cancer Institute health-care workers in Naples, Southern Italy. Results: The {chi}2-test was not significant; we did not find any significant risk for HCV in the ‘other untrained staff’ group [odds ratio (OR) 2.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4-10.9] or in the health-care workers group (OR 1.6; 95% CI 0.4-7.0). In the health-care worker subgroups, doctors were the reference category because of the low prevalence of HCV in this subgroup (3.3%). A non-significant association was found in the professional nurses group (OR 2.7; 95% CI 0.8-8.8), as well as in the categories of technicians and biologists. Conclusions: No excessive risk was found among the health-care workers as a whole or among the different categories of personnel, confirming that health-care employees have benefited sufficiently from preventative measures.

Keywords: HCV; health-care workers; prevention; public health; Southern Italy.
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