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Blood borne infections in sport: risks of transmission, methods of prevention, and recommendations for hepatitis B vaccination
  1. R Kordi1,
  2. W A Wallace2
  1. 1Sports Medicine Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2Centre for Sports Medicine, Division of Orthopaedic and Accident Surgery, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr Kordi
 Centre for Sports Medicine, Division of Orthopaedic and Accident Surgery, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; msxrknottingham.ac.uk

Abstract

Athletes are at risk of blood borne infections through bleeding injuries or injection of drugs with contaminated syringes. Prevention should focus on reducing non-sport associated risky behaviour, as well as dealing appropriately with bleeding injuries. The risk of transmission of hepatitis B virus is particularly high in athletes in contact and collision sports, those who live in or travel to endemic regions, injecting drug abusers, and those who practice first aid when there is no healthcare practitioner available. It is recommended that such athletes, and also adolescent athletes, should be vaccinated against the virus as a routine.

  • HBV, hepatitis B virus
  • HCV, hepatitis C virus
  • blood borne infections
  • hepatitis B
  • HIV
  • vaccination
  • prevention of infection

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Footnotes

  • Conflict of interest: none declared