Muhammad Fawad Ali, Arslan Ahmad, Mazhar Muneer Khan.
Frequency of Hepatitis C and Awareness of its Health Hazards among Paramedical Staff.
Pak J Med Health Sci Jan ;12(1):76-9.

Background: Worldwide, hepatitis C is considered leading public health issue while paramedical staff is more at risk of acquiring infection. Frequency of anti-HCV positivity among healthcare staff ranges from 0 to 9.7 % globally . Aim : To assess the frequency of hepatitis C and awareness about its health hazards in paramedical staff at Nishtar Hospital Multan . Method: This was cross-sectional descriptive study carried out during August 2016 among 105 paramedics working at Nishtar Hospital Multan. Data was gathered through questionnaire, which was entered into computer software SPSS version 20. Results: Among 10 5 paramedics, 54.3% male and 45.7% were 31-40 years old. More than half (58.1%) had work experience above 10 years. Mainstream (67.6%) was aware regarding its spread while 31.4% had knowledge regarding its treatment plan. Among paramedical staff, 88.6% were examined for Hep-B and C upon joining government job. Among them, 86.7% observed safety measures during procedures and gloves were used by 46.7% during handling of patients/procedures. Conclusion: Most of the paramedics had knowledge regarding hepatitis genus and spread. Information about treatment plans was unsatisfactory. Majority of the paramedical staff followed safety measures during procedures. There is need to provide refreshing training to paramedical staff.

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