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HEPATITIS B INFECTION AT AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY CENTRE

July 26, 2000

A study in this week's issue of THE LANCET emphasises the continuing risk of transmission of bloodborne viruses in health-care settings where skin-piercing procedures are used.

In more developed countries, such as the USA and UK, the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is low. George Webster and colleagues describe the epidemiology of a large outbreak of hepatitis B that occurred in the UK in 1998. The outbreak was traced to an alternative medicine clinic in London that practised autohaemotherapy - a technique in which about 1 mL of a patient's blood is drawn with a needle and syringe, mixed with an equal volume of saline, then reinjected (this technique is intended to boost the immune system).




Of 352 patients who attended the clinic between January, 1997, and February, 1998, 54 had evidence of HBV infection, of whom 31 had active infection. Two staff members who had themselves undergone autohaemotherapy also had active infection. DNA sequencing revealed that 30 of the patients and staff (91%) with active hepatitis B were infected with an identical HBV strain. Five patients with linked infection had markers of chronic hepatitis B, and one of these was regarded as the likely source of the outbreak. The attack rate was associated with the number of visits and the week of visit. An analysis of the procedures used at the clinic revealed that although new needles were used for each patient, the blood-filled syringes were repeatedly dipped directly into a multiuse bottle of saline.

Contact: Dr George Webster, Centre for Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Royal Free Campus, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London NW3 2PF, UK; T) +44 (0)1523 726751 (pager); F) +44 (0)20 7433 2884; E) g.webster@rfc.ucl.ac.uk





Lancet



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