Traditional healers are frequently exposed to hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through the widespread practice of traditional "injections", in which the healer performs dozens of subcutaneous incisions using a razor blade to rub herbs directly into bloodied tissue. An average healer in Agincourt, a rural northeastern sub-district in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, experiences approximately 1,500 occupational blood exposures over the

more »

... se of their lifetime. Healers in Agincourt have an HIV prevalence of 30% compared to 2. Key Populations [https://www.unaids.org/en/topic/key-populations] 3. Karani H, Rangiah S, Ross AJ: Occupational exposure to blood-borne or body fluid pathogens among medical interns at Addington Hospital, Durban. South African Family Practice 2011, 53(5):462-466. 4. Rossouw TM, van Rooyen M, Louw JM, Richter KL: Blood-borne infections in healthcare workers in South Africa. South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde 2014, 104(11):732-735.