Hepatitis and CJD

This review aims to give an overview of viral hepatitis, the risks of transmission and new developments in the treatment of infected individuals. The complications relevant to anaesthesia and intensive care management are also discussed, as well as the safety measures clinicians need to adopt in the clinical environment. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are rare, but because of the durability of prions, the associated mortality and the potential for iatrogenic transmission, there is also a short discussion on these groups of diseases.