[The management of acute hepatitis C and needlestick accidents with hepatitis-C virus positive blood].

Acute hepatitis C is rarely diagnosed, in part because of its usually subclinical course. Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has a high chronicity rate, 70-90%. The risk of infection after a needlestick accident with HCV positive blood is 3-10%. There are no efficacious preventive measures regarding HCV infection but treatment with the antiviral drug interferon alpha during the acute phase of the disease has shown to significantly reduce the risk of subsequent chronic infection. It is advised to evaluate individuals who were exposed to infected blood by a needlestick accident regarding HCV transmission, and to offer interferon treatment to them in case they become HCV positive, as demonstrated with a positive serum HCV-RNA test.