Diseases due to micro-organisms

Micro-organisms account for about 10% of successful new occupational disease claims. T) ical examples are  

Hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver. When occurring at work it is usually caused by infections or toxic substances such as alcohol and organic solvents. Most commonly the cause is a virus of which there are three main kinds. 

The virus is transmitted from infected stools to the mouth. After 2-6 weeks there occurs fever, nausea, abdominal pain and jaundice. Recovery usually occurs in 1-2 weeks and recurrence is rare. 

Precautions to be taken include good personal hygiene, washing hands after the toilet and before handling food. There is a vaccine which gives long-term protection. 

The virus is transmitted in infected blood or serum, especially among drug addicts who share needles there is also a risk in renal dialysis units. The disease manifests itself after 2-6 months with symptoms similar to Hepatitis A but the effects are more prolonged and damaging. 

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