Epidemiological risk profiles for hemocontact infections in healthcare

Growing risks in occupational activities of healthcare workers determine the relevance of examining their health since healthcare quality largely depends on it. Healthcare provision plays an important role in transmission of various infectious agents resulting in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), both in patients and in staff of healthcare organizations (HO). In their occupational activity, healthcare workers (HCWs) may be at risk not only of infection, but also of transmission of various infectious agents, be sources of infection for susceptible patients and/or their colleagues.

A critical review of foreign literature sources indicates that the risk of infection among healthcare workers directly depends on their competence and proficiency and measures taken by them for their own protection ultimately become measures able to prevent HAIs among patients. It is rather difficult to develop guidelines on how to manage risks of transmission of hemocontact infection agents from healthcare workers to patients, first of all, due to limited available scientific evidence. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) holds a special place among hemocontact pathogens. In order to reduce the risk of HBV transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends three key strategies for HBV prevention in HCWs: pre-exposure prophylaxis (vaccination), post-exposure prophylaxis, and adherence to standard precautions.

A wide range of vaccines against HBV has been developed and successfully used in Russia and worldwide. This has given evidence that it is quite possible to eliminate HBV transmission from HCWs through contacts with patients’ biological fluids and vice versa by using specific prevention against the infection. Protection provided by anti-HBV vaccines has become the first significant step in reducing the number of HCWs infected with HBV and the risk of further transmission of the infection to HO patients.