HCV infection occupational hazard at dialysis units and virus spread, among relatives of dialyzed patients.

It was the purpose of this study to evaluate the spread of HCV infection among the staff at Dialysis Units and among relatives of anti-HCV-positive hemodialysis patients. 122 health-care workers and 52 relatives were screened for presence of anti-HCV Ab. The control groups consisted of 100 health-care workers from other wards and 30 relatives of anti-HCV-negative subjects. 2.45% of the health-care staff and 5.8% of the relatives were found to be anti-HCV Ab carriers. None of the subjects in the control groups were positive. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that there is a real possibility of HCV spread through occupational exposure although the corresponding percentage in less than that presumably due to within-the-family contagion by the virus.