Healthcare professionals have an obligation to be immunised against hepatitis B. The purpose of this obligation is to protect them against hepatitis B virus (HBV) contaminations whilst providing care as part of their professional duties, but also to protect the patients from contamination by an infected healthcare professional. This obligation extends to all pupils and students at the time of their registration in an educational institution and, at the latest, before starting their work experience placements in a company or public or private body providing treatment or prevention. Persons with a chronic HBV infection cannot be vaccinated and consequently cannot currently access certain healthcare courses.
The HCSP reminds in particular that universal childhood immunisation against HBV is the best tool for limiting the number of future healthcare profession students infected by the virus, and that the risk of patient-carer contamination depends on the type of treatment provided, on adherence to standard hygiene precautions and on the plasma viral load of the infected professional.
The HCSP recommends that persons carrying or chronically infected with HBV should not be excluded a priori from medical, dental, midwifery or operating theatre nursing (IBODE – "infirmier(e) de bloc opératoire") courses, but rather that an evaluation of the patient-carer transmission risk should be carried out as early as possible during the studies and, in any event, no later than the start of the clinical placements, and for IBODE operating theatre nurses, before entering the training course. Only the professional categories listed above are affected by any restrictions. The HCSP specifies what this evaluation should include (type of care provided, type of practice, options for treating the disease) and its implementation details.
- Recommendation
- Europe
- France
- Hepatitis B
