STUDY TO KNOW THE PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF HEPATITIS C AMONG HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AT THQ DARYA KHAN

Introduction: Pakistan at the moment is facing a big challenge of Hepatitis C over the country. It is posing an increased risk to Health Care providers of being infected with the virus through tremendous exposure. Aim: To find the prevalence of hepatitis C in health care providers is the purpose of this study and preventive measures practiced by health care providers Of THQ Darya Khan. Materials and methods The diagnostic was done through using rapid chromatography strips and blood samples were collected. Data collection was done through questionnaire and after analyzation, results were summarized. Results: The Hepatitis prevalence was 5.17%. Those who used gloves were 67.24%. A history of needle stick injury was present in 47.41%, and 49.13% knew about the spread of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Just 18.96% knew about the treatment plan, and 19.83% had attended a workshop on preventive measures of infectious diseases in healthcare settings. Conclusion: HCV frequency in health care providers was high. To increase the knowledge about hepatitis C prevention and decreasing the incidence of infection among health care professionals, the recommended plan is of training workshops and awareness programs should be mandatory