Malangu Ntambwe, Legothoane Adelaide
School of Public Health, University of Limpopo Medunsa Campus Pretoria, South Africa.
Glob J Health Sci. 2012 Nov 2;5(1):44-51. doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v5n1p44.
Occupational infections particularly hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a serious problem in the healthcare industry worldwide. This study purported to investigate their prevalence and risk factors among healthcare workers from Limpopo province of South Africa.
Cases about occupational infectious diseases of healthcare workers from Limpopo province that were submitted to the Compensation Commissioner from January 2006 to December 2009 were reviewed.
The total number of cases of infectious diseases reported during the study period was 56; of these, 83.9% (47) of cases were for tuberculosis, 10.7% (6) for cholera, and 5.4% (3) for chickenpox. Nurses were the most affected. Risk factors associated with the acquisition of infection diseases were as follows. The majority of those infected were female (67.9%), aged over 40 years (57.1%), and who had worked for over 10 years (59.2%). With regard to length of time it took for one to be infected, overall it took 13.6±9.7 years from the year of employment to being infected. This duration was just 5.7±4.2 years in HCWs younger than 40 years versus 18.4±9.0 years in those 40 years and over (p=0.001); and 11.4±10.3 years in nurses versus 17.1±7.8 years in non-professional staff members (p=0.046). Mopani district, situated in a rural setting was the most affected as 24 of the 47 cases of tuberculosis occurred there.
In conclusion, the most common occupational infection or hospital acquired infection among healthcare workers in Limpopo province of South Africa was tuberculosis. It infected mainly nurses from the rural health district of Mopani. Younger age and being a nurse were significant risk factors associated with being infected early.
职业感染尤其是医院获得性感染（HAIs）是全球医疗行业中的一个严重问题。本研究旨在调查南非林波波省医护人员中职业感染的患病率及其危险因素。
回顾了2006年1月至2009年12月期间提交给赔偿专员的林波波省医护人员职业感染疾病病例。
研究期间报告的传染病病例总数为56例；其中，83.9%（47例）为结核病，10.7%（6例）为霍乱，5.4%（3例）为水痘。护士受影响最大。与感染疾病相关的危险因素如下。大多数感染者为女性（67.9%），年龄超过40岁（57.1%），工作超过10年（59.2%）。关于感染所需的时间，总体而言，从就业年份到感染共需13.6±9.7年。40岁以下的医护人员感染所需时间仅为5.7±4.2年，而40岁及以上的为18.4±9.0年（p=0.001）；护士为11.4±10.3年，非专业工作人员为17.1±7.8年（p=0.046）。位于农村地区的莫帕尼区受影响最大，47例结核病病例中有24例发生在那里。
总之，南非林波波省医护人员中最常见的职业感染或医院获得性感染是结核病。主要感染了莫帕尼农村卫生区的护士。年龄较小和身为护士是与早期感染相关的重要危险因素。
