INTRODUCTION THREAD: People affected by Hep B

Dear @Kilonshele,

Yes Thomas is correct. There are no restrictions for people working as a pathologist, or in most health care settings for that matter.

The only restrictions are for health care workers who perform “exposure prone procedures” (EPPs), which are very specific set of procedures which involve working with sharp instruments or objects in a confined space with poor visibility and the likelihood of blood exposures – i.e. mostly inside body cavities.

This kind of procedures are performed by dentists, orthopaedic and cardiothoracic surgeons and obstetricians.

It does not include routine patient care, taking blood, putting in IV cannulas etc.

Health Care workers are not required to disclose their HBV status but must be aware of their status and not perform EPPs unless they have been assessed and are on appropriate treatment (i.e. undetectable viral load).

Here are details on the Australian Health website: https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdna-bloodborne.htm

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