[Vaccination and postexposure prophylaxis in heath-care workers]

Abstract

Health-care workers are an important professional group exposed to biological risks during their professional activity. The legal regulation of the occupational exposure, as well as the knowledge of occupational diseases, has facilitated the development of prevention measures for this group. Nowadays, vaccination against a number of infectious diseases is considered the most effective strategy of primary prevention. The recommended vaccines include those, according to age, included on adult immunization schedule, and vaccines against infectious diseases that can constitute a major risk, both for the professional and for the patient: chicken pox, rubella, HBV, etc. On the other hand, the occupational exposure to blood or other body fluids (transmission of HIV, HCV and HBV) is the main risk for health-care workers. Nevertheless, at this moment there is no effective immunoprophylaxis against any disease of this group, excepting HBV infection. Thus, occupational exposure prevention, chemoprophylaxis with anti-retroviral drugs when available, and exposure follow-up are the main strategies to decrease transmission risk.