Blood borne pathogens (BBPs) are germs (infectious microorganisms) carried in blood or other body fluids that can be transmitted to humans via contact. People who may come into contact with BBPs are at risk of certain infections which may be deadly. The major BBPs we are concerned with are HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis, among others. These BBPs can be present in other body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions and any other fluid form within the body. They are typically not present in urine, sweet, saliva and similar fluids. Exposure to these fluids are not considered a high risk.
If you become exposed it does not mean you are infected. You only become infected when the BBPs is present in the fluid, enters your body and your immune system cannot fight it off. It now become s a disease.
Our body offers us 3 lines of defense which together we call the immune system. The first of these is the physical barriers offered by our skin, mucous membranes, tears, sweat, coughing, sneezing and similar actions. The 2nd and 3rd layers are our innate and adaptive immune systems that fight against infection. This is also what allows vaccines to work. Vaccines "train" our white blood cells to "recognise" a specific disease and fight the infection. Of the serious BBPs the only one we currently have a vaccine for is Hepatitis B. Problems with the immune system can result in Immunodeficiency Disorders, of which AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is an example. Your immune system breaks down or turns against itself and you can become very sick or even die.
The risks of BBPs are small but can be deadly. Hepatitis B has the highest risk as it can live in dried blood for up to 7 days. Should you be at risk though occupational exposure (working with blood), you need to take certain precautions. The most basic of these are what we call universal precautions which include washing your hands, wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as gloves, disposing of waste properly and keeping your work area and equipment clean.
Besides BBPs we should also be concerned with MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) when dealing with people in close proximity. This is an antibiotic resistant staph infection which can become very serious and is hard to treat. The same precautions apply to MRSA as to other BBPs.
The most important precautions we can take is to wash our hands regularly, wear the correct PPE and take care to work properly and cleanly. Besides protecting yourself from these diseases, you have a responsibility in law (which we refer to as the OHS Act) to ensure you and everyone who works with you is safe.
Should you be exposed, whether directly to blood or by a needle injury, we need to follow Post Exposure procedures which may inlcude PEP (Post Exposure Prohykaxis). PEP is a course of Anti-Retro Viral drugs which have been proven to reduce the chances of HIV infection by up to 80%.
Blood borne pathogens (BBPs) are germs (infectious microorganisms) carried in blood or other body fluids that can be transmitted to humans via contact. People who may come into contact with BBPs are at risk of certain infections which may be deadly. The major BBPs we are concerned with are HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis, among others. These BBPs can be present in other body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions and any other fluid form within the body. They are typically not present in urine, sweet, saliva and similar fluids. Exposure to these fluids are not considered a high risk.
If you become exposed it does not mean you are infected. You only become infected when the BBPs is present in the fluid, enters your body and your immune system cannot fight it off. It now become s a disease.
Our body offers us 3 lines of defense which together we call the immune system. The first of these is the physical barriers offered by our skin, mucous membranes, tears, sweat, coughing, sneezing and similar actions. The 2nd and 3rd layers are our innate and adaptive immune systems that fight against infection. This is also what allows vaccines to work. Vaccines "train" our white blood cells to "recognise" a specific disease and fight the infection. Of the serious BBPs the only one we currently have a vaccine for is Hepatitis B. Problems with the immune system can result in Immunodeficiency Disorders, of which AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is an example. Your immune system breaks down or turns against itself and you can become very sick or even die.
The risks of BBPs are small but can be deadly. Hepatitis B has the highest risk as it can live in dried blood for up to 7 days. Should you be at risk though occupational exposure (working with blood), you need to take certain precautions. The most basic of these are what we call universal precautions which include washing your hands, wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as gloves, disposing of waste properly and keeping your work area and equipment clean.
Besides BBPs we should also be concerned with MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) when dealing with people in close proximity. This is an antibiotic resistant staph infection which can become very serious and is hard to treat. The same precautions apply to MRSA as to other BBPs.
The most important precautions we can take is to wash our hands regularly, wear the correct PPE and take care to work properly and cleanly. Besides protecting yourself from these diseases, you have a responsibility in law (which we refer to as the OHS Act) to ensure you and everyone who works with you is safe.
Should you be exposed, whether directly to blood or by a needle injury, we need to follow Post Exposure procedures which may inlcude PEP (Post Exposure Prohykaxis). PEP is a course of Anti-Retro Viral drugs which have been proven to reduce the chances of HIV infection by up to 80%.