58. How can health care workers and others at risk of on-the-job exposure reduce the risk of HIV infection?

Health care workers and others who come in contact with potentially infectious blood and/or other body fluids on the job can reduce their risk by following strict safety guidelines, such as the Universal Precautions. These guidelines include wearing latex gloves when taking blood samples or injecting medicine and vaccines and washing hands before and after all procedures.

While these guidelines have helped to reduce the frequency of exposure to HIV, needle-sticks and other direct contact with blood and body fluids sometimes occur. For some exposures, the New York State Department of Health recommends that the health care worker or other workers take medicines to reduce the risk of HIV infection. This form of treatment – postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) – works best when it is started within a few hours, and no more than 36 hours, after HIV exposure. Although PEP can decrease the risk of HIV transmission to a person who has been exposed on the job, some people using PEP may still become infected with HIV. A health care worker who has a needle-stick injury or other direct contact with blood or body fluids should be evaluated right away to determine whether PEP is needed.