Blood Borne PathogensBlood-borne pathogens are considered to be among the most contagious of all disease producing micro-organisms for health care workers and anyone who works with body invasive procedures. These pathogens are capable of producing disease and are found in the blood and body fluids rather than in air droplets. The two blood-borne pathogens of most concern are the hepatitis B virus and the Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV).
The microbial flora of the skin consists of resident and transient micro-organisms; the resident micro-organisms survive and multiply on the skin and can be repeatedly cultured, while the transient microbial flora represent recent contaminants from sources other than the person’s normal flora and survive only for a limited time. Most resident micro-organisms are found in the superficial skin layers, but about 10-20% can inhabit deep epidermal layers.
Micro-organisms in the deep layers may not be removed by hand washing with plain soaps and detergents, but can usually be killed or inhibited by using products that contain anti-microbial ingredients. Most resident skin micro-organisms are not harmful and are not usually implicated during the treatment of each client. Transient micro-organisms, often found on the hands, can be pathogens and may cause infection. Hand washing with plain soaps and detergents is effective in removing many transient microbial floras. Our training in the area of Blood-borne pathogens will give you a real understanding of the subject and is essential to your continuous training. Click here to return to our list of Additional Training Days.
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