Commentary
Recommendation for post-exposure prophylaxis after potential exposure to herpes b virus in Germany
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* Corresponding author: Thomas Remé thomas.reme@bgw-online.de
1 Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services, Department for Basic Sciences, Hamburg, Germany
2 Department of Infection Pathology, Leipniz Institute for Primate Research, German Primate Centre, Goettingen, Germany
3 Accident Insurance North Rhine-Westphalia, Department for Prevention, Duesseldorf, Germany
4 Accident Insurance Baden-Wuerttemberg, Department for Prevention, Stuttgart, Germany
5 Occupational health physician, Stuttgart, Germany
6 Covance Laboratories GmbH, Muenster, Germany
7 Institute of Virology and Antiviral Therapy, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, Germany
Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology 2009, 4:29 doi:10.1186/1745-6673-4-29
Published: 26 November 2009Abstract
Although the risk of a herpes B virus (Cercopithecine herpes virus 1) infection is low, the clinical course of the infectious disease is generally unfavourable. A high safety standard can be achieved if people with professional contact to primates apply proper organisational, technical and personal safety precautions. The risk can be considerably reduced if animal keepers, laboratory assistants and scientists receive adequate information about the pathology of herpes B virus and are well trained in the necessary procedures and the precautions. For this reason, comprehensive and regular training, information and instruction must be provided to all primate workers and to laboratory workers who come into contact with potentially infectious material. After potential contamination, the risk for the affected worker must be assessed immediately and post-exposure chemoprophylaxis performed if necessary. This necessitates internal risk assessment. An interdisciplinary group of experts has developed an action plan for Germany.