@article{ref1,
title="Occupational hazards of traditional healers: repeated unprotected blood exposures risk infectious disease transmission",
journal="Tropical medicine and international health",
year="2016",
author="Audet, Carolyn M. and Salato, José and Blevins, Meridith and Silva, Wilson and González-Calvo, Lázaro and Vermund, Sten H. and Gaspar, Felisbela",
volume="21",
number="11",
pages="1476-1480",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Healers provide support for acute and chronic illnesses in rural Mozambique, such as socially acceptable traditional &quot;vaccinations&quot; (subcutaneous cuts in the skin to rub herbs directly into the bloody lesion). We aimed to document the frequency of blood exposure by traditional practitioners in Mozambique. <br><br>METHODS: We conducted surveys with a simple random sample of 236 traditional healers in Zambézia province. Chi-square and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used to compare &quot;injection&quot; behaviors across districts. <br><br>RESULTS: Healers treated a median of 8 patients in the past month (IQR: 4-15). 75% conducted &quot;injections&quot;. These healers &quot;injected&quot; a median of 4 patients (IQR: 1-8), used a new razor a median of 3 times (IQR: 1-8), and almost never used gloves. Lifetime blood exposures among those who provided &quot;injections&quot; during treatments were estimated to be 1,758 over a healer's career. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The majority of healers is exposed repeatedly to patient blood. Given the high prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B and C virus, and other blood-borne agents, specific healer practices are an occupational hazard and reuse of razors is risky for their clients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.<br><br>This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1360-2276",
doi="10.1111/tmi.12775",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12775"
}