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Surveillance
of Healthcare Personnel with HIV/AIDS, as of December 2002
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Of the adults
reported with AIDS in the United States through December 31, 2002,
24,844 had a history of employment in healthcare . These cases represented
5.1% of the 486,826 AIDS cases reported to CDC for whom occupational
information was known (information on employment was missing for
362,954 reported AIDS cases). The type
of job is known for 23,212 (93%) of the 24,844 reported healthcare
personnel with AIDS. (See the box to the right.) The “other”
category is comprised of maintenance workers, administrative staff,
and other nonmedical staff. Overall, 73% of the healthcare personnel
with AIDS, including 1,407 nonsurgical physicians, 3,962 nurses,
385 dental workers, 328 paramedics, and 92 surgeons, are reported
to have died.
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Adults reported with
AIDS and a history of employment in healthcare, where
job is known, by occupation, as of December 2002. |
Occupation |
Number |
Nurses |
5,378 |
Health aides |
5,638 |
Technicians |
3,182 |
Physicians |
1,792 |
Therapists |
1,082 |
Dental workers |
492 |
Paramedics |
476 |
Surgeons |
122 |
Other |
5,050 |
Total |
23,212 |
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Fifty-seven healthcare
personnel in the United States have been documented as having
seroconverted to HIV following occupational exposures. (See box
to right for their occupations.) Twenty-six have developed AIDS.
The exposures resulting in infection were as follows: 48 had percutaneous
(puncture/cut injury) exposure; 5, mucocutaneous (mucous membrane
and/or skin) exposure; 2, both percutaneous and mucocutaneous
exposure; and 2, an unknown route of exposure. Forty-nine healthcare
personnel were exposed to HIV-infected blood; 3, to concentrated
virus in a laboratory; 1, to visibly bloody fluid, and 4, to an
unspecified fluid.
In addition, 139 other cases of HIV infection
or AIDS have occurred among healthcare personnel who have not
reported other risk factors for HIV infection and who report a
history of occupational exposure to blood, body fluids, or HIV-infected
laboratory material, but for whom seroconversion after exposure
was not documented. The number of these workers who acquired their
infection through occupational exposures is unknown.
No new documented cases of occupationally
acquired HIV/AIDS have been reported since December 2001. One
new case of possible occupational transmission has been reported.
The number of possible cases may decrease if individuals are reclassified
when a nonoccupational risk is identified or may increase if new
cases are reported.
Healthcare personnel
with documented and possible occupationally acquired
AIDS/HIV infection, by occupation, as of December 2001. |
Occupation |
Documented |
Possible |
Nurse |
24 |
35 |
Laboratory worker, clinical |
16 |
17 |
Physician, nonsurgical |
6 |
12 |
Laboratory technician, nonclinical |
3 |
- |
Housekeeper/maintenance worker |
2 |
13 |
Technician, surgical |
2 |
2 |
Embalmer/morgue technician |
1 |
2 |
Health aide/attendant |
1 |
15 |
Respiratory therapist |
1 |
2 |
Technician, dialysis |
1 |
3 |
Dental worker, including dentist |
- |
6 |
Emergency medical technician/paramedic |
- |
12 |
Physician, surgical |
- |
6 |
Other technician/therapist |
- |
9 |
Other healthcare occupation |
- |
5 |
Total |
57 |
139 |
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1Healthcare personnel are defined as those persons,
including students and trainees, who have worked in a healthcare,
clinical, or HIV laboratory setting at any time since 1978. See
MMWR 1992;41:823-5. |
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