Points To Ponder:
Many of us have been in situations
that really scared us, but did you know that blood-borne
pathogens, as well as body fluids, carry viruses, can make you
DEATHLY ILL and could KILL you? Now, if that’s not a scary
enough thought, here are some more interesting statistics

Did You Know:
That AIDS/HIV can be transmitted through ways
other than sexual contact? That AIDS/HIV can be transmitted by
sharing needles, and through open cuts in the skin?
The CDC also states that HIV is unable to reproduce outside its
living host (UNLIKE BACTERIA OR FUNGI, WHICH MAY REPRODUCE UNDER
OTHER CONDITIONS).
The reason for bringing this is up is to
encourage you to always try to be safe. Although HIV has been
transmitted between family members in a household setting, this
type of transmission is rare. You should, however, always take
safety precautions to ensure your safety. Some safety guidelines
are as follows:
Gloves should be worn during contact with blood or other body
fluids.
Cuts, sores, or breaks in the skin in both the caregiver and the
patient should always be bandaged.
Hands and other parts of the body should be washed immediately
after contact with blood or other body fluids.
SURFACES soiled with blood or other body fluids should be
DISINFECTED appropriately.
Dispose of any needles and other sharp instruments in a PUNCTURE
PROOF container.
Some HEPATITIS VIRUSES can be as deadly as the
AIDS/HIV virus. Let’s take HAV (Hepatitis-A) for example. Even
though it is primarily a food virus, it can lead to other
illnesses. HAV accounts for approximately 20,000 to 35,000 cases
of food-borne illness each year in the United States.

Here are some facts
about HBV (Hepatitis-B):
Worldwide, 1 out of 3 people have been
infected with the Hepatitis-B virus.
HBV is one of the most common and serious diseases in the world!
According to the Hepatitis B Foundation, there are approximately
400 million chronic carriers of HBV worldwide. Over 75% of these
carriers reside in the Asia-Pacific region.
One million people die each year from acute
and chronic liver disease caused by HBV infection, making it
the ninth leading cause of death worldwide.
Nearly 300,000 people become infected each year with HBV. Of
that number, one out of ten becomes a chronic carrier. HBV is
100 times more infectious than the AIDS virus. In the United
States approximately 2 healthcare workers are infected each day
with HBV. There is a vaccine for HBV, but for the 400 million
who are already carriers of HBV the
vaccine is of no use.
HBV can be transmitted through any infected
person’s mucus membranes upon contact with infected body fluids
such as semen, vaginal secretions, saliva, and blood. The
highest concentration of the virus, however, is found in the
blood.
Because of the availability of a vaccine, HBV
is one of the most preventable STDs (Sexually Transmitted
Disease). Most people don’t think of HBV as an STD.
And then there is HCV (Hepatitis C virus) which is a viral
infection of the liver.
HCV is transmitted by exposure to blood from an infected
individual.
The greatest risk of transmitting HCV from person to person is
during a period of one or more weeks before onset of symptoms.
However, since the majority of people infected with HCV do not
have symptoms, the period of communicability is indeterminate.
Humans remain contagious as long as they carry the virus.

What about co-infection
between HIV and HCV?
About one-quarter of HIV-infected persons in
the United States are also infected with HCV.
HCV is transmitted primarily by passages through the skin (cuts,
sores, any kind of break in the skin), as well as by exposure
to contaminated blood.
Another deadly disease is TB (Tuberculosis).
TB is a disease that is spread from person to person through the
air.
An estimated 10 to 15 million Americans are infected with the TB
bacteria, with the potential to develop active TB disease in the
future.
Approximately 2 billion people (one third of the world
population) are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the
cause of TB.
TB can also cause liver damage.
We have performed extensive research into
diseases that can be spread when an area has not been properly
decontaminated. We believe that we can make a major difference
by helping to stop the spread of such diseases.
If you have
any questions please
contact us
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