Bloodborne Pathogens Stats & Facts
- Hepatitis A is the milder form of hepatitis, which rarely causes death or lasting damage to the liver. Most people with hepatitis A recover in a few weeks or months. Hepatitis A, like hepatitis E, is transmitted through contaminated food or drinks, but is preventable through immunization.
- Hepatitis B is transmitted through infected blood and other bodily fluids and is therefore commonly passed through sex, the sharing of needles, or from a mother to her child. A vaccine for hepatitis B does exist and infected adults usually recover from the disease within a few months and are immune to the disease afterwards. However, hepatitis B can cause cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer and can result in death if left untreated.
- Hepatitis C, much like hepatitis B, is spread through infected blood. There is no vaccination for hepatitis C and, although in some cases it only lasts for a few weeks, it can also develop into a life-long chronic infection that can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death.
STATS
Case studies in the U.S identifies the following Hepatitis B and C outbreaks from 2008 to 2018.
Hepatitis B (total 25 outbreaks including two of both HBV and HCV, 183 outbreak-associated cases, 13,246 persons notified for screening):
- 19 outbreaks occurred in long-term care facilities, with at least 133 outbreak-associated cases of HBV and approximately 1,679 at-risk persons notified for screening
- 79% (15/19) of the outbreaks were associated with infection control breaks during assisted monitoring of blood glucose (AMBG)
- 6 outbreaks occurred in other settings, one each at: an outpatient cardiology clinic, a free dental clinic in school gymnasium, an outpatient oncology clinic, a hospital surgery service, and two at pain remediation clinics (one outbreak of HBV and one with both HBV and HCV), with 50 outbreak-associated cases of HBV and 11,567 persons at-risk persons notified for screening
Hepatitis C (43 total outbreaks including two of both HBV and HCV, 328 outbreak-associated cases, >112,406 at-risk persons notified for screening):
- 16 outbreaks occurred in outpatient or long-term care facilities (including the two outbreaks of both HBV and HCV also listed above), with 134 outbreak-associated cases of HCV and >80,293 persons notified for screening
- 22 outbreaks occurred in hemodialysis settings, with 104 outbreak-associated cases of HCV and 3,134 persons notified for screening
Four outbreaks occurred because of drug diversion by HCV-infected health care providers, with at least 90 outbreak-associated cases of HCV and 28,989 persons notified for screening