Contact with Blood or Body Fluids

Blood and body fluids, such as saliva, semen and vaginal fluid, can contain viruses. These may be passed on from an infected person to other people. If you have accidental or unplanned contact with a person's blood or body fluids, you could be at risk of HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Body fluids, such as sweat, tears, vomit or urine, may contain and pass on these viruses when blood is present in the fluid.

If you come into contact with blood and body fluids always treat them as potentially infectious.

Wear clean, disposable gloves to clean up spills and always use absorbent material first, such as paper towels. Then clean the area more thoroughly with soap and water, and finally disinfect it with household bleach. A fresh solution of bleach should be used for disinfecting and can be prepared by mixing 1 part of bleach to 9 parts of water. Wear gloves when handling any body fluids or cleaning cuts, scrapes or wounds. Wash your hands carefully after touching any body fluids and after removing and disposing of gloves in a plastic bag. Add gloves to your first aid kit so you are prepared.

Teach children to never touch needles, syringes or condoms, and to tell an adult immediately if they find one. It is important to quickly and carefully dispose of a used condom, needle or syringe. Always wear clean disposable gloves and use tongs or pliers to pick up used condoms, needles and syringes. Discard condoms in a plastic bag. Needles and syringes should be placed in a metal or plastic container with a puncture-proof lid and disposed of in the regular garbage or according to local bylaws. Always discard used gloves in a plastic bag and wash your hands carefully with warm water and soap.

If you have contact with blood or body fluids in any of the ways described below you may need a vaccine or medication as soon as possible to protect against infection. It is important that you are assessed right away after the contact. Go immediately to an emergency department. Follow the instructions below for what to do right after the exposure.

If you prick yourself with a used needle, hold the affected limb down low to get it to bleed. Do not squeeze the wound or soak it in bleach. Wash the area with warm water and soap.

If you are splashed with blood or body fluids and your skin has an open wound, healing sore, or scratch, wash the area well with soap and water. If you are splashed in the eyes, nose or mouth, rinse well with water. In the case of bites, wash the wound with soap and water.

If you are sexually assaulted, go to the hospital emergency department as soon as possible.

Risk of HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C

The risk of getting HIV, hepatitis B or C depends on the amount of virus in the blood or body fluid and the type of contact. For example, a piercing through the skin poses a greater risk than a splash on the skin.

The risk of getting infected after exposure to HIV-infected blood or body fluids is about 0.1 to 0.3 per cent. This means that 1 to 3 people will get infected out of 1000 exposures. If you are not already vaccinated and do not receive any post exposure prophylaxis, the risk of getting infected with hepatitis B virus is about 30 per cent – about 30 out of 100 people may be infected from exposure to blood or body fluids. The risk of getting infected with hepatitis C is up to 7 per cent or 7 out of 100 people. The emergency department doctor will tell you whether your exposure puts you at risk of these infections.

Prevent the Spread of Infection

• Sometimes it is not possible to know for at least 6 months if you have become infected after an exposure. If you get infected, you can spread the infection to others. While you are waiting for the results of follow-up testing, take these steps to help prevent spreading the infection to others:
• Do not have sex (vaginal, oral or rectal). If you have sex, use a male or female condom every time.
• Do not donate blood, plasma, organs, breast milk, tissue, or sperm.
• Do not share toothbrushes, dental floss, razors, or other items that may have blood or body fluids on them.
• Cover open cuts and scratches until they heal.
• Carefully throw away anything with blood on it, such as tampons, pads, tissues, dental floss, and bandages. Put sharp items such as used razors or needles into a container and tape shut. Throw away in the garbage – do not place in a recycling box.
• Do not share drug snorting, smoking or injection equipment such as needles and syringes, straws and pipes.

The steps described above can help to protect you from diseases that can be spread from contact with blood or body fluids. You can help to protect yourself from other germs and diseases by following the steps described below. Teach others and especially children about how to avoid germs and diseases.

Protect Yourself and Others

For protection against germs and disease, always wash your hands:

• Before preparing food and after handling uncooked foods
• Before eating or smoking
• Before breastfeeding
• After toileting or diapering
• Before and after providing first aid
• After handling blood or body fluids
• After coughing or sneezing
• Before and after providing care to a person

Hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. Wash hands carefully with soap and warm water for at least 15 to 20 seconds. Waterless alcohol-based hand rinses can be used as long as hands are not heavily soiled

Cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow when you cough or sneeze, and then wash your hands.