Hospital Precautions Against Spread of Acute Viral Hepatitis

Two forms of viral hepatitis exist, but identical precautions must be taken to prevent their spread to people caring for the sick. A set of precautions is here given for nurses, attendants, and technicians, especially as regards bedpans, bedclothes, dishes, thermometers, syringes, needles, and blood samples. An additional list of precautions applies especially to examining physicians, dental surgeons, operating surgeons, sigmoidoscopists, pathologists, roentgenologists, and especially anyone engaged in drawing blood, making injections, or handling materials liable to fecal contamination. Blood transfusions should be used sparingly; use of pooled plasma should be avoided if possible. Blood donors with a history or other evidence of hepatitis must be excluded. Gamma globulin should be available to persons who have been exposed to the danger of hepatitis. These precautions are especially necessary because the length of the incubation period (up to 180 days in cases of serum hepatitis) confuses the situation and casts doubt on the need for stringent preventive measures.