Blood-borne disease
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview[edit | edit source]
A blood-borne disease is one that can be spread by contamination by blood. The most common examples are HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and viral haemorrhagic fevers.
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 and malaria.
Many blood-borne diseases can also be transmitted by other means.
Since it is difficult to determine what pathogens any given blood contains, and some blood-borne diseases are lethal, standard medical practice regards all blood (and any body fluid) as potentially infective. Blood and Body Fluid precautions are a type of infection control practice that seeks to minimize this sort of disease transmission.
Blood for blood transfusion is screened for many blood-borne diseases.
Needle exchanges are an attempt to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases in intravenous drug users.
Related Chapters[edit | edit source]
External Links[edit | edit source]
- Selected EPA-registered Disinfectants - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard (BBPS)
- Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention, from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp.html
References[edit | edit source]
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