Recent Changes in HIV Testing & Post-Exposure Follow Up

This article is designed to raise awareness of these changes to ensure that an exposed healthcare worker (HCW) receives proper care as outlined in the requirements under the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Employers must ensure that an exposed employee receives proper care and counseling as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) post-exposure guidelines and recommendations, which OSHA is tasked with enforcing. Reference to this can be found in the OSHA Enforcement Procedures for the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens (CPL 02-02-069). A Brief History The timeline for HIV begins in the 1900s, when the disease transferred from chimpanzees to humans. It was believed that HIV was in the U.S. sometime prior to 1966. It was in 1984 that the HIV virus was determined to be the cause of AIDS. Deaths among persons reported with AIDS peaked at 50,000 in 1995, when AIDS was as the leading cause of death in the U.S. for persons between 25–44 years of age. Change began with the development of multi-drug therapy. By 1997, new treatments led to a 47% reduction in death. By 1996, it's believed that 38,780 persons died as a result of HIV infection, but, by 2000, the death rate had declined to 14,499 due to the availability of drug treatment. Antiviral medications became the basis for treating HIV-infected persons. It all started with the drug AZT, which was referred ...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Exclusive Articles Operations Source Type: news