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Published on: September 12, 2016
Evaluation of occupational transmission of hepatitis A virus among wastewater workers
D Trout1, C Mueller, L Venczel
1Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA.
Abstract:
To provide information concerning potential occupational transmission of hepatitis A virus (HAV) among wastewater workers in a large city in the United States, a cross-sectional survey was performed using a saliva test to detect antibodies to HAV (anti-HAV). Fifty-nine (20%) of 302 participants tested positive for anti-HAV. After controlling for the confounding effects of age and race, wastewater work was not significantly associated with an increase in the prevalence of anti-HAV (prevalence ratio = 1.3; 95% confidence interval 0.7 to 2.4). Additionally, when examining only the wastewater workers, no statistically significant occupational risk factors for anti-HAV were identified. The results of this survey are consistent with the position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding groups at risk for HAV infection.
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