[Health personnel and viral hepatitis. Risk and prevention]

Health care workers are exposed to the risk of viral hepatitis. There has recently been a shift in epidemiology from hepatitis B to hepatitis A, and these subjects are less and less spontaneously immunized before entering their profession; vaccination, therefore, should benefit them. Concerning hepatitis B, vaccination has made a huge impact and considerably reduced the number of occupational cases. The occupational risk for hepatitis C virus infection seems to be much lower than the risk for hepatitis B.