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Transmission of Hepatitis B
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Iluang Chen-ya and a written reply by the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday);
Question:
In view of the transmissibility of Hepatitis B, some countries have introduced regulations to minimise the risk of medical personnel who are Hepatitis B carriers transmitting the disease to patients during invasive operations using sharp instruments. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of patients in hospitals under the management of the Hospital Authority who have been infected with the Hepatitis B virus within a few weeks of an
and three years; operation in the past three
(b) what guidelines and measures does the Government have to prevent the transmission of Hepatitis B to patients by medical personnel?
Reply:
(a) In the past three years, there has not been any notifiable reports of Hepatitis B being transmitted to patients by health care personnel during invasive operations using sharp instruments in hospitals under the management of the Hospital Authority. As a point for Members' information, multi-disciplinary committees have been established in all public hospitals to enforce proper infection control measures and infectious diseases surveillance.
(b) To reduce the risk of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission, the Department of Health has formulated two sets of guidelines entitled "Procedure for Management of Needlestick Injury or Mucosal Contact with Blood or Body Fluids" and "Preventing Guidelines and Practices" Hepatitis B Transmission in Health Care Settings respectively. The first set of these guidelines has been updated three times since 1992, and the second set was promulgated as recently as May 1995.
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