From root@aspensys.com Wed Jun 21 15:58:44 1995 Date: Wed, 21 Jun 1995 19:12:04 +0500 CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION HIV/AIDS PREVENTION CDC NATIONAL AIDS HOTLINE TRAINING BULLETIN ................................................................. June 20, 1995 #147 This is a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concerning HIV/AIDS and health care workers. Of the persons reported with AIDS in the United States through December 31, 1994, 14,591 had been employed in health care. These cases represented 4.8 percent of the 304,651 AIDS cases reported to CDC for whom occupational information was known (information on employment in the health care setting was missing for 130,668 reported AIDS cases). The type of job is known for 13,785 (94 percent) of the 14,591 reported health care workers with AIDS. The specific occupations are as follows: 1,287 physicians, 90 surgeons, 3,256 nurses, 365 dental workers, 283 paramedics, 2,011 technicians, 719 therapists, and 2,831 health aides. The remainder are maintenance workers, administrative staff, etc. Overall, 74 percent of the health care workers with AIDS, including 1,015 physicians, 69 surgeons, 2,394 nurses, 275 dental workers, and 196 paramedics, are reported to have died. CDC is aware of 42 health care workers in the United States who have been documented as having seroconverted to HIV following occupational exposures. Fifteen have developed AIDS. These individuals who seroconverted include 17 laboratory workers (15 of whom were clinical laboratory workers), 13 nurses, 6 physicians, 2 surgical technicians, 1 dialysis technician, 1 respiratory therapist, 1 health aide, and 1 housekeeper/maintenance worker. The exposures were as follows: 36 had percutaneous (puncture/cut injury) exposure, 4 had mucocutaneous (mucous membrane and/or skin) exposure, 1 had both percutaneous and mucocutaneous exposure, and 1 had an unknown route of exposure. Thirty-eight exposures were to HIV-infected blood, 2 to concentrated virus in a laboratory, 1 to visibly bloody fluid, and 1 to an unspecified fluid. CDC is also aware of 91 other cases of HIV infection or AIDS among health care workers who have not reported other risk factors for HIV infection and who report a history of occupational exposure to blood, body fluids, or HIV-infected laboratory material, but for whom seroconversion after exposure was not documented. The number of these workers who acquired their infection through occupational exposures is unknown. Disclaimer: CDC Hotline Training Bulletins The information in the "CDC Hotline Training Bulletins" is provided by CDC and NIH for use by the CDC National AIDS Hotline in responding to general questions from the public about HIV and AIDS. The bulletins are not intended to be comprehensive discussions of the subject areas. Treatment and drug therapy options change as new research and clinical experiences broaden scientific knowledge. Therefore, persons seeking information on drug therapy should refer to the product information sheet included in all drug packages for the most current and accurate information about a particular drug, especially if the drug is new or infrequently used. HIV-infected individuals should consult their personal physician for specific concerns about their health. For persons desiring more information on a specific topic, public, medical, and university libraries can provide excellent references. The AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service (800-874-2572) can provide information about ongoing HIV/AIDS clinical trials; the HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service (800-448-0440) can assist with information about the latest treatments for persons with HIV infection or AIDS.