Transcript BIOHAZARD - Hepatitis Aids Research Trust

BIOHAZARD
Biohazard Defined…
“Those infectious agents presenting a risk of
death, injury or illness to employees.”
Two Main Infectious Agents

Viruses




Smallest infectious organisms
Take over cells, including reproductive mechanisms, and
multiply inside of “host” cells
Few viral infections can be treated with anti-viral drugs
Bacteria



Single-celled microorganisms
Produce toxins that damage cells
Most bacteria can be treated with drugs
Infectious Disease



Developed complacency in 2ND half of 20th century
because of successful medications & vaccinations
Est. 17 million a year pass away from diseases
Bacteria & viruses develop mechanisms to resist
drugs



They survive and continue to multiply
Antibiotics or antiviral medications either kill or inhibit
growth
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommends using antibiotics only when needed
Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC)


CDC focuses on disease prevention and control,
health promotion and education activities, &
environmental health
Is the leading federal agency for health & safety,
since 1946, and is an agency of the Dept. of Health &
Human Services

Excellent source for information about diseases

www.cdc.gov
Main Concerns Today

TB

AIDS

HIV

Hepatitis
Tuberculosis (TB)




Mycobacterium tuberculosis, slow growing organism
Not as easy to transmit as the common cold,
contracted likely from family & friends
Breathing in respirable size water droplets in the air
containing the TB virus via coughing, sneezing, &
talking, etc.
If droplet nuclei reach the alveoli an infection
develops
History of TB

Until mid 1800’s, was thought to be hereditary

1865 Frenchman Jean-Antoine Villenin proved TB is contagious


1882 German scientist Robert Koch discovered the bacteria that
causes the TB disease
Until the 1940’s & 1950’s people that could afford it were put in
sanatoriums
TB History cont.,




In 1943 American scientist Seman Woksman
discovered Streptomycin drug to kill the TB bacteria
Between 1943 & 1952 two more drugs discovered,
people were being cured
By mid 1970’s sanatoriums were closed
Since 1980’s TB is returning, building a resistance to
current drugs
TB Today


In 1995, TB killed more than 3 million people
worldwide
Believed to be 2 billion carriers worldwide
TB Stages

1) Latent – dormant, virus becomes active at later
stage if untreated, detected by tuberculin skin test


2) Active – contagious, shows up on chest x-ray


Treatment… Isoniazide (9 months), Rifenpin (2 months)
Treatment… isolation for 1st 2 weeks until chest x-ray is
clear, medication for 9-12 months
People who have Latent TB are not infectious
TB Risks & Problems

People who are at high risks of contracting TB





A.I.D.S & H.I.V.
Diabetics & alcoholics
People living in high population facilities
Smokers (pipe, cigarettes, cigars, marajuana, etc.)
TB problems in immigration areas of U.S., people
coming from former Soviet Union, etc.



Not treated
Mistreated
Don’t take the medications
Blood borne Pathogens
“Microorganisms such as viruses or
bacteria that are carried in blood and
cause disease”
Sources of Infection

Items caked with dried blood (PPE)

Sharps – needles, scalpels, broken glass, etc.

Body fluids – semen, vaginal secretions, saliva, etc.

Pathological and microbiological wastes

Others – eyes, mouth, cuts in skin, body openings

Careless behaviors
Sources of Infection cont.,
Sources of Infection cont.,
Human immunodeficiency virus
(H.I.V.)




Attacks & breaks down the body’s immune system
Detected by screening test called ELISA, confirmed
by Western Blot test, which is 98% accurate
Can take from 6-8 weeks to several months to
develop antibodies that are detectable in tests
Can take up to 10 years for symptoms to develop,
some much sooner
HIV Infection…
HIV cont.,

How spread and/or contracted


sexual intercourse, transfusions, hypodermic needles,
mucous or broken skin sites
At risk employees

health care workers, public safety (police, fire personnel,
etc.)
Stages of HIV Disease
1) Flu-like symptoms; fever, headaches, fatigue, etc.
2) After anti-bodies develop, immune system & body tissues begin
to become damaged
3) 1st usual symptoms appear; swelling of the lymph glands in the
throat, armpits, or groin areas
4) Serious damage develops; yeast infections & viral infections in
anus & genitals, other severe infections
5) AIDS develops
Overview History of AIDS
1926 – Scientists believe HIV spread from monkeys to humans
between 1926 – 1946
1959 – The first proven AIDS death was a Congo man
1978 – Gay men in U.S., Sweden and Haiti begin showing signs of
AIDS
1980 – 31 deaths in U.S. from AIDS
1982 – CDC links the disease to blood, President Reagan hasn’t
recognized AIDS yet
AIDS History cont.,



1987 – Reagan acknowledges AIDS, V.P. Bush is
ridiculed calling for mandatory testing (gay disease)
1988 – 107,000 diagnosed cases of AIDS in U.S.,
about half of those died
1993 – About 250,000 people have died from AIDS
since 1980 in the U.S.
Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS)

AIDS is the last stage of the HIV disease

White blood cell count is below 200 per milliliter

Presence of a severe condition or infection develops

Basically waste away, no current cure for AIDS
Symptoms of AIDS

Thrush – white coating
around mouth, tongue

Discolored and/or
bleeding growths

Rapid weight loss

Deep, dry coughing

Severe diarrhea

Fevers and night sweats

Abnormal bruising

Personality changes
AIDS Statistics

36 million currently living with HIV/AIDS worldwide

22 million have passed away since the beginning

Last year (2000), 3 million people passed away
Hepatitis

Inflammation of the liver disease

Types… A, B, C, D, E

A, B, & C viruses most common
Hepatitis A Virus (HAV)

Food borne

Preventable

Vaccine available, 3 series shot
HAV cont.,

HAV virus found in stool of persons infected

Usually spread by mouth


Found in poor sanitary conditions, or where personal
hygiene is not good
HAV is also found in drinking water and water
supplies where stool feces is mixed in
People at Risk for HAV infections

Travelers

Share household with someone infected with HAV

People who eat in public

Men who have sex with other men

Children

Healthcare professions
Symptoms & Prevention for HAV



Eyes turn yellow, dark urine, fatigue, loss of appetite,
nausea, vomiting, etc.
Is most contagious in person before symptoms
appear
Can get Immune Globulin vaccine
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)
Blood-borne, not food-borne like HAV
HBV can be a lifelong infection
Is preventable with vaccine, but it is not curable once contracted
Symptoms (6 weeks to 6 months) – fever, chills, joint & muscle
pain, abdominal cramps, Jaundice, abdominal cramps
HBV Can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death
Killed more than a million people in 1995
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

Related to types A & B

Blood-borne



Ranks 2nd to alcoholics for liver damage, alcohol speeds up
progression
New, 1992 was the main discovery period, need more time to
research
No current medication, no cure, leads to early death

Interfuron can help some cases
Outcomes for A, B, & C viruses

Type A – preventable, curable

Type B – preventable, incurable

Type C – no vaccine, incurable
Suggestions for Types A, B or C

Stop drinking alcoholic beverages

Avoid medications that are at risk to liver damage

Eat well, exercise, and rest
Other Infectious Diseases

Whooping Cough


Measles


Develop small red spots, fever and flu-like symptoms
Cholera


Develop a series of short, convulsive coughs followed by a whoop
A severe, contagious infection in the small intestine
Salmonella

Causes food poisoning
Global Outlook on Public Health

Population increases

Increased # of environmental and political refugees

Biosphere’s life-support systems have been disrupted

Increased private cars emitting toxins

Increased worldwide travel, helps spread disease
Regulations

Applies to one or more employees

Bloodborne Pathogens - 29 CFR 1910.1030

Exposure Control Plan, required by OSHA


Recordkeeping


Requires employers to identify in writing where occupational
exposures to blood occurs
Medical records of an employee who sustained an occupational
exposure related to Biohazards, must be kept for the term of
employment plus 30 years
Hazard Communication – WAC 296-62-054
Worker Protection

Wash hands thoroughly with antiseptic soap

Wear appropriate PPE


Gloves, gowns, masks, mouthpieces, etc.
Cover exposed cuts, abrasions, wounds, etc.

Remove PPE without touching contamination

Decontaminate work surfaces with appropriate disinfectant

Biohazard warning labels


Flourescent orange or orange-red
Red bags or containers appropriate substitutes
Disposal or Cleaning of Contaminated
Materials


Clothing should be washed at 160 F or higher for at
least 25 minutes
Store used sharps in puncture resistant, leak-proof
container
Biohazard Symbols
Sources of Information

Ann Riley – Director of Health Department

Randy Kaiser – Safety and Health at Hospital

Class Text

Pamphlets at Red Cross Office

Internet websites

Other books at CWU Library