Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in the Workplace

Along with the increasing prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection worldwide, the number of HIV-infected individuals in the workplace is also increasing. As HIV is not transmitted by casual contacts, the only way for occupational exposure is through a contact with contaminated blood or body fluids. In order to infect, the virus must penetrate the skin barrier. Thus, exposures with sticks or cuts with HIV-contaminated material offer a risk of transmission. Also, mucous membranes and non-intact skin provide a potential route of transmission. In addition to health-care personnel, the at-risk occupations comprise, for example, policemen and cleaning personnel. The HIV-related problems in health-care settings are complex, ranging from prevention of occupational exposures to minimizing discrimination of HIV-infected health-care workers.