In two nursing homes in Flanders, Belgium, four cases of acute hepatitis B infection have recently been detected, linked to the multiple use of blood capillary sampling ('fingerstick') devices on diabetic patients. Another outbreak of hepatitis B transmission in an elderly care home in Belgium, also linked to improper use of these devices, occurred in 2002/3. In addition, three outbreaks of hepatitis B in care homes for elderly residents, linked to poor infection control procedures during blood glucose monitoring have recently been reported in the United States.
Auteur : de Schrijver K
Eurosurveillance. European communicable disease quarterly, 2005, vol. 10, n°. 1-3, p. p. 55
