Blood-borne disease

Blood-borne disease

A blood-borne disease is one that can be spread by contamination by blood.

The most common examples are HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and viral haemorrhagic fevers.

Diseases that are not usually transmitted directly by blood contact, but rather by insect or other vector, are more usefully classified as "vector-borne disease", even though the causative agent can be found in blood. Vector-borne diseases include West Nile virus and malaria.

Many blood-borne diseases can also be transmitted by other means.

Since it is difficult to determine what pathogens any given blood contains, and some blood-borne diseases are lethal, standard medical practice regards all blood (and any body fluid) as potentially infective. "Blood and Body Fluid precautions" are a type of infection control practice that seeks to minimize this sort of disease transmission.Blood poses the greatest threat to health in a laboratory or clinical setting due to needle disposal techniques.

Blood for blood transfusion is screened for many blood-borne diseases.

Needle exchanges are an attempt to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases in intravenous drug users. One of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent disease transmission is hand washing. [cite web|url=http://www.cprlongisland.com|title=CPR course descriptions|accessdate=2008-03-11|publisher=CPR Long Island]

ee also

* blood test
* Infectious disease
* sharps bin
* needlestick injury

References

External links

* [http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/chemregindex.htm Selected EPA-registered Disinfectants - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]
* [http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.search_form?p_doc_type=PREAMBLES&p_toc_level=1&p_keyvalue=Bloodborne%7EPathogens OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard (BBPS)]
* [http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/ Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention] , from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
* [http://npic.orst.edu/reg2.htm#antimic Antimicrobials Information - National Pesticide Information Center]
* [http://www.vega.org.uk/video/programme/87 Professor Andrew Speilman, Entomologist, Harvard School of Hygiene and Public Health] Freeview Malaria video by the Vega Science Trust.
* [http://www.vega.org.uk/video/programme/52 Rob Hutchinson, Entomolgoist, Mosquitoes] London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases. Freeview video by the Vega Science Trust.
* http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp.html
* [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/#prevent NIOSH Bloodborne Infectious Diseases Topic Page]


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