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Occupational Health Service: love your liver
18 January 2012
The British Liver Trust is launching the first ever national liver health awareness campaign for the UK.
Just staying off alcohol for two to three days at a time, avoiding fatty foods and taking regular exercise are great ways to 'love your liver'.
Most people think of liver disease as being associated with drinking too much alcohol, but the hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus can also cause liver damage.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. The virus is transmitted through contact with blood or other body fluids. A vaccination is available to protect against hepatitis B and the Occupational Health Service provides work-related immunisation to help protect laboratory workers who may be at risk of being exposed to blood borne viruses (BBVs) through their work. There is no vaccine available against hepatitis C, so it is important that any accidental workplace exposure to blood or body fluids is followed up promptly, to ensure appropriate post exposure prophylaxis.
If you work in a laboratory where there is a risk of accidental exposure to human blood and body fluids, then display this poster in your department to remind you and colleagues of the action to take if you have an accidental exposure to BBVs.
Further information
British Liver Trust
2 Southampton Road Ringwood
BH24 1HY
Tel (helpline): 0800 652 7330 Web: www.britishlivertrust.org.uk
Useful Resources
www.drinkaware.co.uk - Information about alcohol and drinking
Exercise and healthy Eating
Practical ideas about healthy eating
Protect yourself against virus infection
www.nathnac.org - Information on travel health, including how to protect yourself against hepatitis A, B and C
Hepatitis C information line - 0800 451 451
Elaine Fletcher Occupational Health Adviser Human Resource Division
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