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Conference Summary
Healthcare-related Infectious
Diseases1
Naomi Swanson,*
Clara Sue Ross,† and Kevin Fennelly‡
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; †Environmental
and Occupational Health Consultants, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; and
‡University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey,
USA
Suggested
citation for this article
Bloodborne
Pathogens in the Workplace
Healthcare workers have approximately 600,000–800,000 exposures per year
to HIV and hepatitis B and C. The U.S. Public Health Service published
guidelines (June 2001) regarding prevention of exposure to bloodborne
pathogens and recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis. Factors, such
as nature of exposure or amount of body fluids, influence postexposure
prophylaxis measures and can affect the effectiveness or use of prophylaxis.
Several laws cover workers exposed to bloodborne pathogens, such as the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard,
Workers' Compensation, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Airborne
Infections in Women at Work
A wide range of bacteria, viruses, and fungi can cause airborne infections
in healthcare workers. The gender-based risk for diseases caused by many
of these pathogens is not currently known. Female healthcare workers do
appear to have the same risk for tuberculosis (TB) as men, although women
may have a greater risk of progression to active TB. A number of airborne
infections that healthcare workers can contract at the workplace can be
prevented by vaccination (e.g., measles, influenza). Other types of infections
(e.g., TB, severe acute respiratory syndrome) are best prevented by a
combination of administrative, engineering, and personal protection controls.
1The following comments were made in presentations
by the above authors at the International Conference on Women and Infectious
Disease.
Suggested citation
for this article:
Swanson N, Ross CS,
Fennelly K. Healthcare-related infectious diseases [conference summary].
Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2004 Nov [date cited].
Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no11/04-0622_04.htm
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