Points To Ponder:
Many of us have been in situations that really scared us,
but did you know that blood-borne pathogens, as well as body
fluids, carry viruses, can make you DEATHLY ILL and could KILL
you? Now, if that’s not a scary enough thought, here are some
more interesting statistics
Did You Know:
That AIDS/HIV can be transmitted through ways other than
sexual contact? That AIDS/HIV can be transmitted by sharing
needles, and through open cuts in the skin?
The CDC also states that HIV is unable to reproduce outside its
living host (UNLIKE BACTERIA OR FUNGI, WHICH MAY REPRODUCE UNDER
OTHER CONDITIONS).
The reason for bringing this is up is to encourage you to
always try to be safe. Although HIV has been transmitted between
family members in a household setting, this type of transmission
is rare. You should, however, always take safety precautions to
ensure your safety. Some safety guidelines are as follows:
Gloves should be worn during contact with blood or other body
fluids.
Cuts, sores, or breaks in the skin in both the caregiver and the
patient should always be bandaged.
Hands and other parts of the body should be washed immediately
after contact with blood or other body fluids.
SURFACES soiled with blood or other body fluids should be
DISINFECTED appropriately.
Dispose of any needles and other sharp instruments in a PUNCTURE
PROOF container.
Some HEPATITIS VIRUSES can be as deadly as the AIDS/HIV
virus. Let’s take HAV (Hepatitis-A) for example. Even though it
is primarily a food virus, it can lead to other illnesses. HAV
accounts for approximately 20,000 to 35,000 cases of food-borne
illness each year in the United States.
Here are some facts about HBV
(Hepatitis-B):
Worldwide, 1 out of 3 people have
been infected with the Hepatitis-B virus.
HBV is one of the most common and serious diseases in the world!
According to the Hepatitis B Foundation, there are approximately
400 million chronic carriers of HBV worldwide. Over 75% of these
carriers reside in the Asia-Pacific region.
One million people die each year from acute and chronic liver
disease caused by HBV infection, making it the ninth leading
cause of death worldwide.
Nearly 300,000 people become infected each year with HBV. Of
that number, one out of ten becomes a chronic carrier. HBV is
100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus. In the United
States approximately 2 healthcare workers are infected each day
with HBV. There is a vaccine for HBV, but for the 400 million
who are already carriers of HBV the
vaccine is of no use.
HBV can be transmitted through any infected person’s mucus
membranes upon contact with infected body fluids such as semen,
vaginal secretions, saliva, and blood. The highest concentration
of the virus, however, is found in the blood.
Because of the availability of a vaccine, HBV is one of the
most preventable STDs (Sexually Transmitted Disease). Most
people don’t think of HBV as an STD.
And then there is HCV (Hepatitis C virus) which is a viral
infection of the liver.
HCV is transmitted by exposure to blood from an infected
individual.
The greatest risk of transmitting HCV from person to person is
during a period of one or more weeks before onset of symptoms.
However, since the majority of people infected with HCV do not
have symptoms, the period of communicability is indeterminate.
Humans remain contagious as long as they carry the virus.
What about co-infection between HIV and HCV?
About one-quarter of HIV-infected persons in the United States
are also infected with HCV.
HCV is transmitted primarily by passages through the skin (cuts,
sores, any kind of break in the skin), as well as by exposure
to contaminated blood.
Another deadly disease is TB (Tuberculosis). TB is a disease
that is spread from person to person through the air.
An estimated 10 to 15 million Americans are infected with the TB
bacteria, with the potential to develop active TB disease in the
future.
Approximately 2 billion people (one third of the world
population) are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the
cause of TB.
TB can also cause liver damage.
We have performed extensive research into diseases that can
be spread when an area has not been properly decontaminated. We
believe that we can make a major difference by helping to stop
the spread of such diseases. |
