Health check...

[Catherine Earnshaw]

Hi,

I've a conditional offer and I was wondering when I should start screening for infectivity from Hepatitis B and a course of Hepatitis B immunisation. Can anyone help?

Many thanks,
Cathy.

[TXelco]

A.S.A.P. Hep B vaccination courses are spread out over quite a long period of time. I'd go and arrange them at the next possible opportunity.

TX

[Oxton]

I've just had my first (of 3) today, they spread them out over 6 months and then do a blood test.

[Jul!eT]

What about the mantoux test? Did you guys hear anything about it? The person who gave me the HepB jabs told me I should have it done and if I don't have immunity they will give me that jab as well before I start..?

[Singingdoc]

Originally Posted by Jul!eT

What about the mantoux test? Did you guys hear anything about it? The person who gave me the HepB jabs told me I should have it done and if I don't have immunity they will give me that jab as well before I start..?

Hi Julie, I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that we just had to have our Hep B sorted and fill in the rest of the form as comprehensively as possible and then any further things (like BCG/Mantoux) would be brought up with us/sorted out by occ health in the first week...

[Jul!eT]

Yea, that's what I gathered as well. It's just that both times I've been for the hepB they told me the same thing, that I should have the Mantoux to make sure I have immunity before I start. They didn't claim to know any better, after all we're not in the UK, they just suggested I should look it up. Anyway, it doesn't cost me anything to have it done so I just might...

[TXelco]

I've never heard of the Mantoux injection. Hopefully they will sort that out in the occ. health in the first week, like SingingDoc says.

I had my Hep B before i went on a month expedition to Venezuela last July, but i think i need a booster injection. I hope they can just give me a booster and that i won't have to go through a big course of injections again.

[claneyuk]

You'd be suprised about how many people turn up at George's having had nothing done - not even started their Hep B vaccinations (where you need three individual jabs). You should start you Hep B asap though. But obviously you need to be Hep B surface antigen negative - i.e. had not contracted Hep B - otherwise you're not allowed to practise medicine at all. It would have been pointless you have applied to medical school otherwise!

As for all the other stuff e.g BCG for TB - George's sort it out for you. Hopefully most of us would have had it at school - you would have a scar if you've had it. The Mantoux test is to see if you have antibodies to TB - if not then you have the BCG anyway.

Also if you haven't had chicken pox then you'd need to be vaccinated against that. MMR may be required - but you do need rubella antibodies too.

You need the Hep B booster 5 years after your initial three injections.

[auden]

Originally Posted by claneyuk

But obviously you need to be Hep B surface antigen negative - i.e. had not contracted Hep B - otherwise you're not allowed to practise medicine at all. It would have been pointless you have applied to medical school otherwise!

I don't think that's true at all - you can practise, just there are some things you wouldn't be allowed to do if you became a chronic carrier of the disease - eg EPPs. We had a whole PBL themed around this in our second year!

[Dick Cheney]

Originally Posted by claneyuk

But obviously you need to be Hep B surface antigen negative - i.e. had not contracted Hep B

As I understand, being positive for HBsAg just means you have an active (and contagious) infection. Most infections are acute, and once cleared, the HBsAg presence becomes undetectable.