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Although HIV transmission is possible in health care settings, it is extremely
rare. Medical experts emphasize that the careful practice of infection control
procedures, including universal precautions (i.e., using protective practices
and personal protective equipment to prevent HIV and other blood-borne infections),
protects patients as well as health care providers from possible HIV transmission
in medical and dental offices and hospitals.
For more information on
preventing occupational exposure to HIV, refer to the
CDC fact sheet, “Preventing Occupational HIV Transmission to Healthcare
Personnel” available at
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/hcwprev.htm.
In
1990, the CDC reported on an HIV-infected dentist in Florida who apparently
infected some of his patients while doing dental work. Studies of viral DNA
sequences linked the dentist to six of his patients who were also HIV-infected.
The CDC
has not yet been able to establish how the transmission took place. No additional
studies have found any evidence of transmission from provider to patient
in health care settings.
CDC has documented rare cases of patients contracting
HIV in health care settings from infected donor tissue. Most of these cases
occurred due to
failures in
following universal precautions and infection control guidelines. Most
also occurred early
in the HIV epidemic, before established screening procedures were in place.
For
more information, see "Are health care workers at risk of getting
HIV on the job?" or visit the health care worker section
of the CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN) Web site at http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/population/hcw.asp,
or call NPIN at 1-800-458-5231. |