Blood-borne-viruses (BBV)

syringe with blood

Blood-borne viruses (BBVs) are viruses that some people carry in their blood and can be spread from one person to another. Those infected with a BBV may show little or no symptoms of serious disease, but other infected people may be severely ill.

Training on HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C is available. This would cover:

  1. Protecting ourselves and others.
  2. How to comply with the law.
  3. How to assess and ways to reduce the risks of workplace exposure to blood-borne viruses.
  4. How to manage incidences of exposure.

In-depth HIV training is also available.

Enter FIVE FACTS ABOUT HEPATITIS B THAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW…

1. Hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than HIV.

2. By the age of 35, one in three gay men in London will have had Hepatitis B.

3. The virus can live in dried blood so it can be spread by using other people’s sex toys, toothbrushes and razors.

4. About 1 in 10 infected people will go on to develop long-term liver problems such as cirrhosis and 1 in 100 will actually die as a result of Hepatitis B.

5. Although it is preventable by vaccine, 50% of gay men in London are still not vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

The above information was provided as part of Hepatitis B Awareness Week a couple of years ago. The campaign targeted at gay men aimed to highlight how easy it is to prevent the disease by vaccination. The vaccination is free, quick, straightforward and available without an appointment at most STI clinics in the UK.