Essay Blood Borne Pathogens and Disease Transmission

These microorganisms are transmitted from poor hand hygiene from health care workers to patients as well as touching of contaminated equipment and environmental surfaces. Microorganisms are most commonly introduced to susceptible sites such as open wounds or other portals of entry by contaminated hands. Infection leads to adverse clinical outcomes and can directly threat patient recovery.

Dirty equipment – having dirty equipment which is not cleaned between patients can spread infection very fast lots of bacteria can be spread on a blood pressure cuff for example.

Bloodborne Pathogens are pathogenic microorganisms that can eventually cause disease. They are found in human blood and other bodily fluids such as synovial fluid, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid and any other fluid that mixes or has contact with blood. The bloodborne pathogens are pathogenic, which means they are disease causing, and they are also microorganisms, which means that they are very small so the human eye cannot see them.

Pathogens are everywhere. They are in people, animals, and the environment. Pathogens come in a wide variety. The types are fungal, bacterial, viral, and other parasites. All pathogens can be dangerous, but two of them are more dangerous. These two types that more dangerous are fungal and bacterial. While both fungal and bacterial pathogens cause illness, they differ in the way they are transmitted, the way they are treated, and the diseases they cause.

When infected by HIV in the early stages the immune system tries fight against the virus which is the cause of the symptoms sufferers start to experience. Once these symptoms begin to leave your body generally suffers do not experience any other symptoms afterwards. However due to the damage done to the immune system after years of suffering from the disease it is likely to experience weight loss, hot sweats, skin issues and serious illnesses. It is vital that when testing for HIV the 5 C’s are followed which have been placed by the world health organisation which are as

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome denotes a spectrum of conditions that are caused by the HIV virus. Infection with this disease does not result in the instant occurrence of the related signs and symptoms. However, an individual is likely to experience flu-like symptoms after he or she is infected with it. Eventually, the person experiences a prolonged period of apparent health with no visible signs. On progression, the infection adversely interferes with the immune system of the individual. The weakening of the body’s defense system increases the risk of recurrence of common infections and opportunistic illnesses that

Compared to other members of the community of health care nurses are at a significant risk of needle stick injury because of their frequent performance with vein punctures and taking care of patients suffering from different infectious diseases. Needles may cause injury to you or to someone else if they were not properly discarded after use and can also cause an injury if you do not use gloves to protect your hands while you work with needles. If a medical professional gets stuck by a needle, then they need to wash the area thoroughly with soap and contact their healthcare provider as soon as

Money aside, when sharps injuries or transmission through bodily fluids aren’t reported, medical providers may potentially spread an illness to their family, friends and others they work with or are in close contact with. Markedly, various studies have discussed the underlying issues of underreporting of sharps injuries among physicians. Further literature review indicates the correlation between underreported sharps injuries was linked to worker inexperience. Medical students and training physicians where among the highest percentage of those who didn’t follow devised safety protocols and record injury incidents. These categories of inexperienced worker’s misjudgment of performance potential and disregard for safety protocols are likely to place them at increased risk for exposure (Occupational Health Surveillance Program, 2011). Despite these misguided ideals and the difficult challenges facing health care workers all over the world to provide better quality health services with fewer resources along with adapting to changes in the care delivery on a tight budget, workers’ safety should still be among health care facilities’ top

The emergency scene(s) that EMT’s and Paramedics respond to can often be chaotic; a scene that can be unsafe and/or have multiple patients. Upon arrival the first priority for each provider will always be the safety of the responder and then that of bystanders. An injured responder can be detrimental to a successful resolution to the incident.

Of all the hospital acquired conditions or “never-events” identified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), infections are possibly the most frightening to consider. This holds true for lay people as well as medical professionals, perhaps because of our perception that controlling the risk for infection is more difficult than controlling non-infectious risk for injury conditions that usually result from preventable human error. Safety awareness and improved education can help on multiple fronts in the fight against most hospital acquired conditions, but with infections, the

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if not treated (About HIV/AIDS, n.d). Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot fully rid itself of HIV completely, even with treatment. Simply put, once you contract HIV, you have it for life. This disease attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T cells), which help the immune system stave off infections. When left to its own devices, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body, making the person more likely to

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. There are currently five known viruses that cause can hepatitis (Microbiology, 10e). The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person; however, it is now more commonly spread among IV drug users that share needles. Healthcare workers are also at risk for contracting HCV, but with standard precautions, the risk is low. “Prior to 1992, some people acquired the HCV infection from transfusions of blood or blood products. Since 1992, all blood products have been screened for HCV, and cases of HCV due to blood transfusion now are extremely rare. HCV can be passed from mother to unborn child. Approximately 4 out of every 100 infants born to HCV-positive mothers

HIV is global pandemic stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, weakens the immune system by destroying the important cells in our body that fights against disease and infection. Our immune system is able to clear out most of the viruses from our body, but once you have HIV , you have it for lifelong. HIV can hide in our body cells for long time and it can attack the T cells and CD4 cells, a key part of our immune system to fight infections and diseases. Overtime, the HIV may attack so many of CD4 cells and our body is no more able to fight against infections. When this happens, HIV can lead to AIDS, the final stage of HIV infection. HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, injection or drug use, pregnancy, breast feeding, occupational exposure, and rarely through blood transfusion and organ

Currently, there are no vaccines and no cures for HIV or AIDS, although scientists are researching and finding new drugs and treatments. So far, scientists have discovered a variety of drugs and medication that can be used to control and slow the virus and the progression of the disease. There are some drugs which interfere with the virus ability to make copies of itself by disabling a protein it needs, like Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. If someone is diagnosed with HIV, it is important to start with treatments as soon as possible.

If you are a health worker, always wear protective gloves in situations that involve exposure to blood or other body fluids.