TY - JOUR
T1 - Hepatitis C in urban and rural public safety workers
AU - Rischitelli, Gary
AU - McCauley, Linda
AU - Lambert, William E.
AU - Lasarev, Michael
AU - Mahoney, Elaine
PY - 2002/6
Y1 - 2002/6
N2 - A sample of 719 Oregon public safety personnel (police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers) was tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody after completing a risk questionnaire. Seven of nine positive enzyme immunoassay tests (78%) were confirmed with recombinant immunoblot assay, yielding confirmed prevalence estimates of 1.2% (95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 2.8%) among the 406 firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and 0.7% (95% confidence interval, 0.1 to 2.6%) in 274 corrections personnel. No cases were observed in the 29 participating police officers. Self-reports of the number of workplace exposures to blood were not associated with HCV positivity, and the number of years of public safety employment seemed to be slightly less for HCV-positive subjects. Two of the seven (28.6%) HCV-positive individuals reported having at least one nonoccupational,risk factor (odds ratio, 4.3; 95 % confidence interval, 0.4 to 27.1), suggesting the greater relative importance of nonoccupational exposures.
AB - A sample of 719 Oregon public safety personnel (police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers) was tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody after completing a risk questionnaire. Seven of nine positive enzyme immunoassay tests (78%) were confirmed with recombinant immunoblot assay, yielding confirmed prevalence estimates of 1.2% (95% confidence interval, 0.4 to 2.8%) among the 406 firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and 0.7% (95% confidence interval, 0.1 to 2.6%) in 274 corrections personnel. No cases were observed in the 29 participating police officers. Self-reports of the number of workplace exposures to blood were not associated with HCV positivity, and the number of years of public safety employment seemed to be slightly less for HCV-positive subjects. Two of the seven (28.6%) HCV-positive individuals reported having at least one nonoccupational,risk factor (odds ratio, 4.3; 95 % confidence interval, 0.4 to 27.1), suggesting the greater relative importance of nonoccupational exposures.
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U2 - 10.1097/00043764-200206000-00020
DO - 10.1097/00043764-200206000-00020
M3 - Article
C2 - 12085484
AN - SCOPUS:0036594941
SN - 1076-2752
VL - 44
SP - 568
EP - 573
JO - Journal of occupational and environmental medicine
JF - Journal of occupational and environmental medicine
IS - 6
ER -