Aids is an incurable viral disease most commonly spread as the result of sexual activity.  Unprotected sexual intercourse with a person infected with the virus puts one at risk for contracting the disease.  The aids virus, now called hiv, (human immunodeficiency virus) is found in many body fluids.  However, it appears that not all fluids can infect persons under normal circumstances.  Sharing needles and syringes during iv drug use or contact with contaminated blood, semen, or vaginal secretions are the usual ways the virus is transmitted.  Using bathrooms, phones, eating utensils, cups and glasses that are also used by persons with hiv does not transmit the disease.

Because aids is such a dreaded disease, many people panic on just hearing the word.  The statistics show that aids continues to increase in our population.  The death rate from this disease continues to rise.  Hiv can and does affect all ages and groups of people.  Everyone who knows about the disease is interested in how to keep from getting it.

Healthcare workers have a particular problem.  Casual contact with people who have aids does not transmit the virus.  Blood and blood products from an infected person contain the virus.  Virus particles in even small amounts of blood seem to pose a problem for workers handling that blood.  However, data suggests that transmission usually requires substantial amounts of blood exposure.  If the contaminated blood is able to enter the body of the worker, an aids infection could result.  The virus usually enters the body through a needle stick or other break in the skin. Rarely do more than minimal amounts of blood enter the healthcare worker from these contacts. 
                 
There have been reports of healthcare workers becoming aids positive through contamination by infected blood.  Therefore, universal precautions are required for anyone handling blood.  This is because it's impossible to tell whether or not bloo

d is carrying the aids virus without testing it, which is usually not possible, especially in an emergency situation.

Those at risk are the following groups of workers:

  1. Emergency workers such as policemen, firemen and paramedics at the scene of accidents.
  2. Nurses and physicians in hospital emergency rooms, operating rooms or those who handle patient's blood and blood products in other hospital situations.
  3. Laboratory technologists and other technicians handling blood in clinical labs.
  4. Dentists and their staff.

Special precautions are required for these workers.  Because the danger from aids to any person handling blood is significant, osha (the occupational safety and health administration) has Established rules and guidelines for how human blood should be handled.  In fact, there are legal sanctions against any healthcare facility where the guidelines are not followed.  The guidelines have been published and are available to anyone working in a healthcare facility.  Following them will all but eliminate the chance of coming in direct contact with infected blood.  Thus, the chance of contracting aids is greatly reduced.

Any person working with blood should remember the following:

  • Wear latex gloves whenever handling blood or blood products or when handling any body fluids visibly contaminated with blood.
  • Wear latex gloves when attending people at the scene of accidents.
  • Be sure to clean up blood spills promptly.  Afterwards, soak the area for ten minutes with a 10% bleach solution.
  • If blood might splatter, wear a mask, goggles and protective clothing.
  • Do not recap needles.
  • Dispose of sharps in biohazard containers.

If these measures are taken, the healthcare worker should be able to function with a high degree of safety.  Since aids can't presently be cured, the best approach to the problem is prevention.  These precautions will also protect healthcare workers from other viral diseases spread by blood contact, such as hepatitis, which is more contagious, but is usually less serious than the aids virus.  If you have further questions about this disease, contact your physician or the health department.