Қан арқылы жұғатындар: Қауіптер мен сақтану шаралары

A blood borne disease is a disease that can be spread through contamination by blood and other body fluids. Blood can contain pathogens of various types, chief among which are microorganisms, like bacteria and parasites, and non living infectious agents such as viruses. Three blood borne pathogens in particular, all viruses, are cited as of primary concern to health workers by the CDC NIOSH: HIV, hepatitis B (HVB), & hepatitis C (HVC). 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, zika fever and malaria. Many blood borne diseases can also be contracted by other means, including high risk sexual behavior or intravenous drug use. These diseases have also been identified in sports medicine. Since it is difficult to determine what pathogens any given sample of blood contains, and some blood borne diseases are lethal, standard medical practice regards all blood (and any body fluid) as potentially infectious. "Blood and body fluid precautions" are a type of infection control practice that seeks to minimize this sort of disease transmission.

Needle exchange programs (NEPs) are an attempt to reduce the spread of blood borne diseases between intravenous drug users. They often also provide addiction counseling services, infectious disease testing, and in some cases mental health care and other case management. NEPs acquired their name as they were initially places where intravenous (IV) illicit substance users were provided with clean, unused needles in exchange for their used needles. This allows for proper disposal of the needles. Empirical studies confirm the benefits of NEPs. NEPs can affect behaviors that result in the transmission of HIV. These behaviors include decreased sharing of used syringes, which reduces contaminated syringes from circulation and replaces them with sterile ones, among other risk reductions.

Follow standard precautions to help prevent the spread of blood borne pathogens and other diseases whenever there is a risk of exposure to blood or other bodily fluids. Standard precautions include maintaining personal hygiene and using personal protective equipment (PPE), engineering controls, and work practice controls among others. Always avoid contact with blood and other bodily fluids. Wear disposable gloves when providing care, particularly if you may come into contact with blood or bodily fluids. Dispose of gloves properly and change gloves when providing care to a new patient. Use needles with safety devices to help prevent needlestick injury and exposure to blood borne pathogens. It is also recommended healthcare workers who come often in contact with contaminated material should get the HBV vaccine. A hierarchy of controls can help to prevent environmental and occupational exposures and subsequent diseases. These include:
Elimination: Physically remove hazards, including needles that lack a safety device. Additionally, eliminate the use of needle devices whenever safe and effective alternatives are available. Substitution: Replace needles without safety devices with ones that have a safety feature built in. This has been shown to reduce blood borne diseases transmitted via needlestick injuries. Engineering controls: Isolate people from the hazard by providing sharps containers for workers to immediately place needles in after use, which means putting them within arm's reach of wherever patient treatment occurs, such as in every physician's exam room, every draw station in a medical lab, and every bedside in a hospital ward or wing. Administrative controls: Change the way people work by creating a culture of safety such as avoiding recapping or bending needles that may be contaminated and promptly disposing of used needle devices and other sharps. Personal protective equipment: Protect workers with PPE such as gloves and masks to avoid transmission of blood and other bodily fluids. There have been reports of HCW transferring disease to patients. This happens usually when surgeons perform EPPs, which are procedures requiring sharp tools.