Language
Country/Area
No result found
The mysterious secret of blood-borne infections: Why are HIV and hepatitis viruses so dangerous?
Blood-borne diseases are those that are transmitted through contamination of blood and other body fluids. The most worrisome pathogens are HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these blood-borne diseases do not just affect certain populations, but pose a threat to all health care workers. Occupational exposure is a growing concern, especially in healthcare settings where incidents such as needlestick injuries often lead to infection.
Occupational exposure risks that require attention
In healthcare settings, medical staff such as nurses, surgeons and laboratory technicians face a high risk of blood-borne diseases.
Since many medical procedures require the use of needles, the chance of exposure to infected blood increases significantly.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), healthcare facilities must follow a series of measures, such as writing exposure control plans, engineering controls, developing safe work practices, and providing vaccines, to reduce the risk of infection in the workplace. risk. Among them, providing hepatitis B vaccine is an important measure to protect medical workers.
The development of hemodialysis and alternative therapy
In medical technology, there are also screening and treatment methods for blood pathogens. Before blood can be transfused, it needs to be rigorously tested and a combination of ultraviolet light and riboflavin can be used to remove pathogens.
For example, in some European blood centers, a technology that uses synthetic phenylpeptides (virus inactivating psoralen) and UVA light to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses has been implemented.
The role of needle exchange programs
Another notable measure is needle exchange programs (NEPs), a practice designed to reduce the risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases among intravenous drug users. NEP not only provides clean needles, but also offers services such as addiction counseling and infectious disease testing, thereby significantly reducing the circulation of contaminated needles.
Research has shown that NEP effectively reduces HIV transmission and greatly improves public health.
Necessity of preventive measures
In general, healthcare workers should follow standard medical precautions to prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases. This includes attention to personal hygiene, use of protective equipment and engineering controls. In case of possible contact, disposable gloves must be worn and waste must be properly disposed of.
Avoiding direct contact with blood and body fluids is the most important preventive measure.
In addition, establishing a safety culture, changing work practices and using needles with safety equipment are important protective measures. The report points out that there is a need to reduce the chances of accidents such as "needle sticks".
Facing a challenging future
Although there are many protective measures in place, the medical industry still faces challenges from the raging epidemic and new virus mutations. Therefore, strengthening the professional knowledge and protection awareness of medical workers and continuously improving technology and policies are important issues that must be faced in the future. It can be seen that the control of blood-borne diseases remains one of the key issues in global public health.
When thinking about these grim realities and future possibilities, we can't help but ask how to further reduce the risk of blood-borne diseases and protect the health of every medical worker and patient in an increasingly complex medical environment. What about safety?
