Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. 200-300 health care workers contract hepatitis each year. It can be transmitted by contact with infected blood or blood products. It is not transmitted by casual contact. The symptoms of acute infections include fatigue, mild fever, muscle and joint aches, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and jaundice.
More severe infections can be fatal.
At this time, no booster is recommended. This disease is another major concern of health care workers. At this point a vaccine has not been developed to prevent the disease. This fact places tremendous stress on prudent infection control practices to prevent cross-contamination. HIV is a bloodborne and sexually transmitted disease in which a virus invades the body and damages the immune system.