Hepatitis Risk
Paramedics in St. Paul, Minn, are increasingly exposed to hepatitis, according to Assistant Chief Robert Stober of the Department of Fire and Safety Services.
Stober, who is in charge of paramedics, said the hepatitis exposure seems to have in creased with the influx of Indochinese refugees. While the actual number of persons contracting the disease is down, officials at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center say the number of carriers has increased.
If a patient transported by paramedics has hepatitis or is a carrier, the crew is called in for blood tests and shots within eight hours if possible.
