Protecting Policemen against Hepatitis B — A Liver Expert Speaks out
| Published date | 01 October 1986 |
| Author | Tom Smith |
| Date | 01 October 1986 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X8605900412 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DR.
TOM SMITH.
PROTECTING POLICEMEN
AGAINST
HEPATITIS
B-
A LIVER EXPERT SPEAKS
OUT
At a recent meeting, Dr. Elizabeth Fagan, of the Liver Unit of
King's College Hospital, London, talked to representatives of the
Scottish Police Federation
and
representatives of the Scottish Chief
Constables
about
the possible threat posed to policemen by
hepatitis B.
The meeting was left in no
doubt
about
the gravity of the
problem faced by anyone with the disease,
and
the need to protect
the people most at risk of catching it - her own medical, nursing
and
technical staff are "positively neurotic" in the lengths to which
they go to avoid contact with the virus, and to protect themselves
after such contact.
She stated
that
selected policemen who come into direct and
violent contact with infected subjects must be at risk, like certain
hospital personnel,
and
stressed
that
they should be just as careful
as her hospital staff in terms of hygiene, washing hands, protecting
cuts, etc., when in direct contact with any human secretions.
That
includes blood, saliva, urine and semen. Vaccination, with the
active hepatitis B vaccine, is now an essential
part
of protection of
high risk susceptible groups.
Hepatitis B - the disease
Worldwide, Dr.
Fagan
said, hepatitis B is the commonest cause of
liver disease: the lowest estimate of the number of people known to
be affected is 200 m., and this does not take account of the many
millions whose disease has not yet produced symptoms, or who
have never had the blood tests to confirm the disease.
The acute illness itself can be severe, although more often
than
not it is the long term outlook, with chronic liver disease, that is the
problem. Hepatitis Bstimulates the development of liver cancer; in
fact, it is the commonest cause of liver cancer, one of the top 10
causes of death in the world. In Africa it is currently killing more
people under 30 years of age
than
the present outbreaks of violence.
Apart
from its stimulation of cancer, it can lead to chronic liver
disease
and
cirrhosis -worldwide it is as common a cause of
cirrhosis as alcohol. Even in countries where infection is less
common, hepatitis Binfection is being increasingly recognized as
a case of liver disease, such as cirrhosis and primary liver cell
cancer.
360 October 1986
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