Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Infection among Laboratory Health Care Workers in Isfahan, Iran

Objectives: clinical laboratory health care workers can become infectedthrough their occupation with blood-borne pathogens by percutanousinjuries and mucocutaneous blood contacts such as cuts, needlesticks, splashes to mucous membranes or other body injuries. thepurpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of, hepatitisc virus (hcv), and some of the risk factors in medical laboratoryhealth care workers.methods: through a descriptive cross sectional study, 203 participantsemployed in the clinical laboratories of the city of isfahan, composedof medical laboratory technologists, technicians and cleaning staff werestudied. participant data were obtained through a self-reporting questionnaireand the level of anti-hcv antibody was measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (elisa). chi-square test was used todetermine risk factors associated with infection.results: the mean age of the individuals (n = 203) was 35.8 ± 9.54years. there were 115 women (56.7%) and 88 men (43.3%). all of thesubjects were negative for hcv ab.conclusions: hepatitis c infection is infrequent in laboratory healthcare workers in isfahan province.