Management of Occupational Blood Exposures*
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Provide immediate care to the exposure site.
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- – Wash wounds and skin with soap and water.
- – Flush mucous membranes with water.
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Determine risk associated with exposure by
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- – type of fluid (e.g., blood, visibly bloody fluid, other potentially infectious fluid or tissue, concentrated virus);
- – type of exposure (i.e., percutaneous injury, mucous membrane or nonintact skin exposure, and bites resulting in blood exposure).
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Evaluate exposure source.
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- – Assess the risk of infection using available information.
- – Test known sources for hepatitis B, or HBV, surface antigen; antibodies to hepatitis C virus, or HCV (anti-HCV); and HIV antibody (consider using rapid testing).
- – For unknown sources, assess risk of exposure to HBV, HCV or HIV infection.
- – Do not test discarded needles or syringes for virus contamination.
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Evaluate the exposed person.
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- – Assess immune status for HBV infection (by history of hepatitis B vaccination and vaccine response).
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Give PEP for exposures posing risk of infection transmission.
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- – HBV [Editor’s note: A description of PEP in cases of HBV transmission is provided in U.S. Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1]
- – HCV: PEP not recommended.
- – HIV [Editor’s note: A full description of PEP in cases of HIV transmission is provided in U.S. Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1]
- – Initiate PEP as soon as possible, preferably within hours of exposure.
- – Offer pregnancy testing to all women of childbearing age not known to be pregnant.
- – Seek expert consultation if viral resistance is suspected.
- – Administer PEP for four weeks if tolerated.
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Perform follow-up testing and provide counseling.
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- – Advise exposed persons to seek medical evaluation for any acute illness occurring during follow-up.
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HBV exposures
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- – Perform follow-up anti-HBs testing in persons who receive hepatitis B vaccine.
- – Test for anti-HBs one to two months after last dose of vaccine.
- – Anti-HBs response to vaccine cannot be ascertained if hepatitis B immunoglobulin was received in the previous three to four months.
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HCV exposures
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- – Perform baseline and follow-up testing for anti-HCV and alanine aminotransferase, or ALT, four to six months after exposures.
- – Perform HCV RNA at four to six weeks if earlier diagnosis of HCV infection desired.
- – Confirm repeatedly reactive anti-HCV enzyme immunoassays with supplemental tests.
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HIV exposures
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- – Perform HIV-antibody testing for at least six months postexposure (e.g., at baseline, six weeks, three months, and six months).
- – Perform HIV antibody testing if illness compatible with an acute retroviral syndrome occurs.
- – Advise exposed persons to use precautions to prevent secondary transmission during the follow-up period.
- – Evaluate exposed persons taking PEP within 72 hours after exposure and monitor for drug toxicity for at least two weeks.
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FOOTNOTES
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* Adapted from U.S. Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1 
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REFERENCES
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- U.S. Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated U.S. Public Health Service guidelines for the management of occupational exposures to HBV, HCV, and HIV and recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis. MMWR Recomm Rep 2001;50(RR-11):45–6.
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