Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), cripples the body's immune system so that it cannot defend itself against other infections and diseases. There is no cure for AIDS, though drugs have been produced that slow the progression of the virus from HIV into AIDS.
HIV is spread through infected blood, semen, or vaginal secretions. Transmission occurs by sexual contact and from a mother to her newborn child. Additionally, transmission occurs from contact with infected blood that enters the bloodstream of another. The occupational risk of contracting HIV is by this method.
A healthcare facility is the primary workplace setting for the potential infection of employees. Healthcare workers can contract HIV by a stick from a needle contaminated with infected blood, by a splash of infected blood into the eyes, nose, or mouth, or by infected blood coming into contact with a cut or other wound that allows the infected blood to enter his bloodstream. Other occupations with the potential for infection are emergency responders who may come in contact with an injured person's blood as well as police officers who may be exposed to an infected criminal suspect's blood. Additionally, workers who are required to use sharp tools or equipment that can cause cuts may be at risk.
Prevention of and response to HIV exposures is key to maintaining employee health. The Center for Disease Control has prescribed precaution criteria that includes the use of equipment such as gloves and masks, proper disposal of used needles, and protocol for patient care when the worker has an open wound. Healthcare worker safety was increased with the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which amended the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. The Act requires employers to review and update their exposure plans under the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard to remain current with technology that eliminates or reduces exposures to bloodborne pathogens. Also, the Act instituted a recordkeeping system for injuries incurred by infected needles. After occupational exposure to HIV, one method of response is to block the infection by immediately initiating drug therapies that suppress the virus and bolster the worker's immune system in order to prevent infection.
Workers' compensation benefits are paid to employees whose illness arose out of their employment. Workers who have contracted HIV may have some difficulty showing the necessary causal link between the illness and their job due to the prevalence of the disease in modern society. However, healthcare workers may enjoy an increased preponderance that the causal link exists due to the increased risk over other occupations of being exposed to HIV.
Copyright 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
