What Are Bloodborne Pathogens? Pathogens are disease-carrying bacteria or viruses. Bloodborne pathogens are bacteria or viruses which exist in blood or other body fluids or secretions. If you come into contact with blood or other body fluids, you run the risk of contracting:
- AIDS
- HIV (the virus that causes AIDS)
- Hepatitis B
- HBV (the virus that can lead to hepatitis)
Obviously, those working in fields like health care and public safety are most likely to come into contact with blood or body fluids. (If you are involved in these lines of work, you may wish to refer to OSHA and other regulatory guidelines to provide more specific information.) However, injuries can happen anywhere and there is always the possibility of coming into contact with blood. Universal Precautions Unfortunately, if a co-worker or someone else in your vicinity, is the victim of an accident and is bleeding, you have no way of knowing if they have AIDS, HIV, Hepatitis or HBV. Rather than turn our backs, we use universal precautions. This means treating everyone as if he or she has HIV or HBV. Always use gloves. In cases where there is a lot of blood, put on goggles or a mask or even some kind of body covering. Personal protective equipment can prevent blood from splashing onto you. If you do come into contact with any substance that may be contaminated, wash yourself thoroughly with soap and water, and, if necessary, rinse out your eyes with water. Then report to your supervisor and explain exactly what happened. You may have to be tested for HIV or HBV. Most importantly, do not panic if you have touched potentially contaminated material. It is still uncommon to contract AIDS or Hepatitis B from a workplace exposure. Dispelling the Myths Casual contact with a person who has HIV or HBV will not harm you. HIV and HBV cannot be transmitted through:
- sneezing or coughing
- shaking hands or hugging
- sharing water fountains, rest rooms or work equipment
The most common ways these viruses are transmitted are:
- sexual contact
- sharing needles (IV drug use)
- direct contact between broken skin and infected body fluids. (Hepatitis B can also be transmitted through contact with dried blood or contaminated surfaces.)
- being stuck by an infected needle
Bloodborne pathogens does not have to be a scary subject. If we all panic every time someone cuts a finger, we're only adding to the problem. The key is to remain calm and take the precautions mentioned above.