Household members of hepatitis C virus-infected people in Hafizabad, Pakistan: infection by injections from health care providers

Household members of people with hepatitis C are at increased risk of HCV i nfection. The prevalence and routes of transmission of HCV to household mem bers in Hafizabad, Pakistan were investigated. Household members of 24 inde x cases were given a risk factor questionnaire, tested for HCV infection, a nd the risk factors between the infected and uninfected were compared. Twel ve of 74 household members (16.2 %) were seropositive for HCV antibody. Thi s was 21/2 times the rate of infection in the general population (OR = 2.8; P = 0.01). None of the routes of transmission studied within the household was associated with an increased risk. Household members who received more than 4 injections per year were 11.9 times more likely to be infected than those who had not (P = 0.016). In Hafizabad, the greatest risk for HCV inf ection to household members of infected people is injections given by healt h-care workers rather than household contact with infected persons.