In the acute care setting, clinicians may be confronted with a child who has had a nonoccupational blood and/or body fluid exposure. Being prepared with a focused approach and the ability to identify the multiple factors that may adjust the risk of contracting bloodborne pathogens is valuable in such exposures. The authors provide a focused approach to nonoccupational blood and/or body fluid exposure, as well as a discussion of each of the bloodborne pathogens.

In this cost-effectiveness analysis study, the authors assessed the cost effectiveness of offering hepatitis C virus (HCV) antenatal rescreening to U.S. women who previously were screened HCV negative in a prior pregnancy. 

Jump in Cocci Cases, Winter 2017; Who Knew the Ink Was Not Sterile? Homeless Population Requires Hepatitis A Vaccination

Only 1.5% of all individuals in the world with chronic hepatitis B virus infection are receiving treatment.

Online Sex and Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Swingers Come Out; HIV-positive Patients Require Hepatitis B Vaccine

Heplisav-B is a new hepatitis B vaccine approved by the FDA in November 2017.

During 2017, a large outbreak of hepatitis A was identified in California. The majority of patients were homeless. Addressing the problem of homelessness should be a priority for our country.

New recommendations for prevention of hepatitis B virus infection focus on testing and management of newborns.

Use of Chinese herbal medicine was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma in patients receiving antiviral medication for chronic hepatitis B infection.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing was applied to examine serum from 204 adult patients with acute liver failure (ALF). Researchers identified a potential viral etiology in eight of the 187 patients with ALF of indeterminate etiology. Potential pathogens identified in these included HSV-1, HBV, parvovirus B19, CMV, and HHV-7.