Impact of Health Education on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Post-exposure Prophylaxis

Occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens, such as human immune-deficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) for healthcare workers through contact with human blood and body fluids has become a major health concern as it poses a risk of transmission of these infectious agents. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, about three million HCWs are exposed to blood-borne pathogens each year, of which 170,000 are exposed to HIV infections, 2 million to HBV infections, and 0.9 million to HCV infections. Most of the time, healthcare providers get exposure through the splash of blood or other body fluids into the eyes, nose, or mouth or nonintact skin exposure, and percutaneous injury occurs as a result of a break in the skin caused by a needlestick or sharps contaminated with blood or body fluids