HIV and hepatitis B
Because of widespread biases and misinformation, it is common for staff and clients to have misconceptions about the transmission of these diseases. It is important to ensure that all staff in your facility know that HIV and hepatitis B are transmitted through:
- Blood/other body fluids: Through contact with broken skin, or through injuries with contaminated needles and/or sharp instruments; through transfusion of infective blood or blood products; through IV drug use with shared needles and syringes or drugs; through splashes of contaminated body fluid into the mucous membranes of a health care worker; through use of contaminated razors; through tattooing.
Note: Point out to staff that hepatitis C, which may be passed through blood and other body fluids, is only rarely transmitted in other ways.
- Sexual contact: During both heterosexual and homosexual contact through unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse.
- Vertical transmission: These infections may be passed from mother to infant (during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding).
There is no evidence of transmission through other modes. Point out that transmission of these infections does not occur:
- During casual social contact
- Through shared eating utensils
- From insect bites
- From donating blood
- From consumption of food or drink
Infrequently, cases of household transmission of hepatitis B have been documented. Household transmission refers to transmission of a virus without recognized blood, sexual, or perinatal exposure. In these cases, infection occurs primarily among young children who are exposed for long periods of time to family members who are persistent hepatitis B carriers--although it is likely that most of these cases are actually due to unrecognized exposure of mucous membranes, cuts, or other breaks in the skin to infectious blood or saliva. There are no documented cases of household transmission of either HIV or hepatitis C.
Although tears, saliva, and urine could contain the HIV virus, these body fluids do not contain high enough amounts of virus to cause infection, and no infections have ever been documented from these fluids. Blood, semen, and cervical/vaginal secretions are the only documented body fluids through which these viruses are transmitted.
Course Home | Module Home | Help