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. 1987 Aug 29;295(6597):530–532. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6597.530

Hepatitis B in general practice: epidemiology, clinical and serological features, and control.

W B Clee 1, P R Hunter 1
PMCID: PMC1247438  PMID: 3117212

Abstract

In an outbreak of hepatitis B virus infection in a south Wales village 31 cases were identified over 16 months. Spread of the infection was by sharing needles and by sexual contact. Twenty seven patients were known to have symptoms, of whom nine had an anicteric illness. Generally the illness was mild with no deaths, and there was only one chronic carrier. Two patients were only transiently positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. The outbreak was controlled by vigorous contact tracing and counselling. Despite an enormous increase in workload for the general practitioner and problems including disposal of contaminated needles, outbreaks of hepatitis B virus infection may adequately be treated in the community.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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