risk groups
Last edited 06/2018 and last reviewed 03/2022
Persons at increased risk of infection include:
- substance use with sharing of equipment
- shared, unsterile needles in parenteral drug abusers
- inhalation drug use
- recipients of blood transfusions - if donor blood is not screened for HBsAg
- haemodialysis patients
- exposure to HBsAg-positive person e.g - sexual partners of chronic HBV carriers
- high-risk sexual activities
- unprotected sex
- multiple sexual partners
- neonates of HBsAg positive mothers - usually at the time of birth or during close contact afterwards, rather than via the umbilical vein
- occupational exposure to blood/body fluids
- health-care workers - e.g. skin abrasions
- birth in a region with intermediate or high endemicity
- institutionalised individuals and their attendants e.g. prisoners, mentally handicapped - especially Down's syndrome
- exposure before 7 years of age (e.g. - child’s immediate and/or extended family immigrated from a region of intermediate/high endemicity and/or child visited such a region
- use of shared/contaminated materials or equipment
- instruments/tools used for personal services procedures such as tattooing/ piercing/body modifications
- alternative health care that has the potential to break the skin
- family members of infected patients - shared toothbrushes, shared razors, sexual contacts
- medical devices (e.g., glucometers)
- travel to/residence in a region of intermediate/ high endemicity (1)
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