infectious diseasesLearn MoreInfectious disease issues are developing rapidly in a complex environment of government regulations, court cases and politics. The IAFF is continually receiving new information and developing new resources. Further assistance can be obtained from the IAFF Department of Occupational Health and Safety.
The best source of up-to-date expert advice on infectious diseases is usually the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC can be reached through their general number, which is 404-639-3311, or on the internet at http://www.cdc.gov.
For information about regulations, call the National OSHA Information Office, 202-523- 8148. Copies of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Title 29 CFR, Part 1910.1030 are available from the Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402-9325 or phone 202-783-3238. Request GPO stock number 069 001-0040-8 ($2.00). OSHA has also developed the following materials that are available free from the internet at http://www.osha.gov under "Bloodborne Pathogens." They are also available upon request from the OSHA field offices or the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA/OICA Publications, P.O. Box 37535, Washington, DC 20013-7535. Please send a self-addressed mailing label with your request.
The United States Fire Administration has developed a number of training materials on infection control for fire and emergency services. For further information contact the USFA, National Fire Programs Office at 301-447-1080 or http://www.usfa.fema.gov.
The IAFF maintains considerable information on communicable diseases. Examples of resources available from the IAFF Department of Occupational Health and Safety include the IAFF Occupational Exposure to Contagious Disease Kit; IAFF Occupational Contagious Disease Laws Kit; and Dispatch Fact Sheets on topics such as the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, CDC Recommendations for Follow-up After Occupational Exposure to Hepatitis C, the Ryan White CARE Act, and Occupational Exposure to Tuberculosis.
The National Fire Protection Association has a standard that addresses fire department infection control program. Your department should be implementing this standard: National Fire Protection Association 1581, Standard on Fire Department Infection Control Program (2000 Edition), NFPA 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269, (800) 344-3555, http://www.nfpa.org.
AFL-CIO www.aflcio.org/yourjobeconomy/safety/issues Includes information on safety and health issues and a safety and health toolbox. Also includes new employer record keeping forms to document work-related injuries and illnesses.
American Industrial Hygiene Association International www.aiha.org
Columbia University http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/texts/guide An online version of Columbia University’s consumer-health guide on diseases.
CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/02/19/ebola.exposure Includes CNN coverage, 2/19/04 by Barbara Starr, on Ebola exposure (includes symptoms)
Infectious Diseases Society of America www.idsociety.org Includes articles, guidelines, statistics, standards, training opportunities and related links (e.g., to the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy).
Site of Immunization Action Coalition www.immunize.org Features Vaccine Information Statements, free print materials and other hepatitis and immunization sites.
National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/vaccine/undvacc.htm Includes a 40 page brochure, “Understanding Vaccines.”
National Governors Association www.nga.org Includes disease fact sheets from its Center for Best Practices.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute www.nhlbi.nih.gov Includes newly reported guidelines that individuals with a systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure of 80 to 89 should be considered as prehypertensive and require health-promoting lifestyle modifications to prevent cardiovascular disease.
New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health http://www.nycosh.org/linktopics/biosafety.html Includes citations of interest on diseases, e.g., a bloodborne pathogens online training module from Oklahoma State University.
U.S. Government’s Disaster Preparedness www.ready.gov
The National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training www.wetp.org Includes links to many sites related to occupational safety for EMS workers.
World Health Organization (WHO) www.who.int/en/
The following references also provide general information on infection control and risk of infection:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. A Curriculum Guide for Public Safety Workers: Prevention of Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B Virus. Cincinnati, OH: DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 89-107; 1989.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Guidelines for Prevention of Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B Virus to Health-Care and Public Safety Workers: A response to P.L. 100-607, the Health Omnibus Programs Extension Act of 1988. Cincinnati, OH: DHHS (NIOSH) Publication 89-107; 1989.
Centers for Disease Control, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Guidelines for Prevention of Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B Virus to Health-Care and Public Safety Workers, February 1989.
Centers for Disease Control, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Exposure to Blood: What Health-Care Workers Need to Know, December 1999. Weaver VM, Arndt SD. Communicable Disease and Firefighters. Occup Med 1995 Oct- Dec;10(4):747-62.
Centers for Disease Control. Immunization of Health-Care Workers: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), MMWR December 26, 1997, Volume 46, No. RR-18.
Benenson, A., Editor, Control of Communicable Diseases in Man, 17th Edition, American Public Health Association, 1015 15th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Cardo DM, Bell DM. Bloodborne pathogen transmission in health care workers – risk and prevention strategies. Infect Dis Clin North Am 1997;11:331-46.
Swinker M. Occupational infections in health care workers: prevention and intervention. Am Fam Physician 1997 Dec;56(9):2291-300, 2303-6.
Lusk SL, Levin PF. Enhancing compliance with universal precautions. AAOHN J 1994 Sep;42(9):449-51.
Berk WA, Todd K. Infection control for health care workers caring for critically injured patients: a national survey. Am J Emerg Med 1994 Jan;12(1):60-3.
Kim LE, et al. Compliance with Universal Precautions among emergency department personnel: implications for prevention programs. Am J infect Control 1999 Oct;27(5 :453-5.
Rynders, GL. Sandy Fire Department. Sandy, Utah. A Study of Compliance Monitoring of Infection Control Programs in the Prehospital Environment. November 1995.
Sharbaugh RJ. The risk of occupational exposure and infection with infectious disease. Nurs Clin North Am 1999 Jun;34(2):493-508.
Arndt SD. Emergency medical services. Am J Med 1997 May 19;102(5B):104-5.
Rinnert KJ, et al. Risk reduction for exposure to blood-borne pathogens in EMS. National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians. Prehosp Emerg Care 1998 Jan- Mar;2(1)62-6.
Menci F, et al. EMTs’ knowledge regarding transmission of infectious disease. Prehosp Emerg Care 2000 Han-Mar;4(1):57-61.
Marcus R, et al. Occupational blood contact among prehospital providers. Ann Emerg Med 1995 Jun;25(6):776-9.
Reed E, et al. Occupational infectious disease exposures in EMS personnel. J Emerg Med 1993 Jan-Feb;11(1):9-16.
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