An outbreak of hepatitis B and D in butchers

This report documents an outbreak of hepatitis B (HB) and hepatitis D (HD) in a group of butcher shop employees. During the 13-month period from September 1983 to October 1984, 8 employees from 2 establishments developed acute HB. Epidemiological investigation suggested that the first case, who was also an intravenous drug user, was the source of infection for other employees. This person and 2 others were found to have concurrent HD. In November 1984 the wife of one of the infected butchers also developed HB.