Intensive epidemiological studies of HIV infection have shown that it is not transmitted in the community by casual or intimate non-sexual contact.
As of December 1999 there have been 96 documented instances of confirmed occupational transmission of HIV. There have been, in addition, 171 cases of HIV infection, possibly resulting from occupational transmission in exposed individuals with no other known risk of infection.
The rate of transmission after a single percutaneous exposure to HIV positive material is 0.32% (21 confirmed infections after 6498 exposures in 25 studies). The risk of infection after exposure of mucous membranes and/or conjunctivae to infected material is 0.03% (one confirmed infection after 2885 exposures in 21 studies).It is important to design infection control policies which, while protecting staff against the risk of fection, do not compromise medical and dental care. HIV is one of several blood-borne viruses; carriers of these viruses may be perfectly well and individuals may be unaware that they are infected. Some, including the hepatitis viruses B and C, are potentially more infectious than HIV. Thus, healthcare workers and society in general need to adjust to the concept that direct contact with the blood of others may present a potential, albeit low, risk of infection.
In the UK the Department of Health and many other bodies have issued guidelines to educate and protect healthcare and community workers. Routine HIV screening of antenatal patients is now recommended, and testing of all those at risk is encouraged. Awareness of the risks, education, careful attention to work practices, provision of protective equipment and immunisation against hepatitis B, where appropriate, are measures which will reduce to a minimum the risk of infection with all blood-borne viruses.