West Yorkshire Police officer given tetanus shot after being BITTEN while on duty

A West Yorkshire police officer had to have tetanus shot and course of antibiotics after being bitten by a man thought to be carrying hepatitis C.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Aug 2018, 12:34 BST
Updated 30th Aug 2018, 13:36 BST

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PC Morgan Taylor was bitten on the finger on the evening of Monday, August 27.

READ: Wakefield man stole coin collection and laptop with sentimental photos during house raid - Leeds Crown Court

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A West Yorkshire Police force spokeswoman said a man has been charged with assault on a police officer and is due to appear at Bradford Magistrates Court today (Thursday).

Posting on Twitter, PC Taylor said that the injuries were minor but 'very painful' and was given a tetanus shot, a course of antibiotics and a hepatitis B vaccination.

In the tweet the officer said: "Got bitten last night. Only a minor injury, but still painful. Human bites are v infectious so I’m on antibiotics for a week. Plus a tetanus shot.

"The man who bit me has HepC, so need a course of hepatitis shots over the next 3 months before I get the all clear.

"Feels ages away."

A West Yorkshire police officer had to have tetanus shot and course of antibiotics after being bitten by a man carrying hepatitis C. PIC: PC Morgan TaylorA West Yorkshire police officer had to have tetanus shot and course of antibiotics after being bitten by a man carrying hepatitis C. PIC: PC Morgan Taylor
A West Yorkshire police officer had to have tetanus shot and course of antibiotics after being bitten by a man carrying hepatitis C. PIC: PC Morgan Taylor
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READ: Police linking sudden death case in Dewsbury to illegal use of amphetamine

The tweet had picked up 2,885 retweets and 5,896 likes at the time of writing.

What is hepatitis C?

According to the NHS:

"Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus and is the most common type of viral hepatitis in the UK. It's usually spread through blood-to-blood contact with an infected person.

"In the UK, it's most commonly spread through sharing needles used to inject drugs. Poor healthcare practices and unsafe medical injections are the main way it’s spread outside the UK.

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"Hepatitis C often causes no noticeable symptoms, or only flu-like symptoms, so many people are unaware they're infected.

"Around one in four people will fight off the infection and be free of the virus. In the remaining cases, it will stay in the body for many years. This is known as chronic hepatitis C and can cause cirrhosis and liver failure.

"Chronic hepatitis C can be treated with very effective antiviral medications, but there's currently no vaccine available."

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