Recommendations for Prevention of HIV Transmission in Health-Care Settings [MMWR Vol. 36. No. 2S]

August 21, 1987 - Supplement

1. All specimens of blood and body fluids should be put in a well-constructed
container with a secure lid to prevent leaking during transport. Care should be
taken when collecting each specimen to avoid contaminating the outside of the
container and of the laboratory form accompanying the specimen.
2. All persons processing blood and body-fluid specimens (e.g., removing tops
from vacuum tubes) should wear gloves. Masks and protective eyewear should
be worn if mucous-membrane contact with blood or body fluids is anticipated.
Gloves should be changed and hands washed after completion of specimen
processing.
3. For routine procedures, such as histologic and pathologic studies or microbiologic culturing, a biological safety cabinet is not necessary. However, biological
safety cabinets (Class I or II) should be used whenever procedures are conducted that have a high potential for generating droplets. These include
activities such as blending, sonicating, and vigorous mixing.
4. Mechanical pipettir.g devices should be used for manipulating all liquids in the
laboratory. Mouth pipetting must not be done.
5. Use of needles and syringes should be limited to situations in which there is no
alternative, and the recommendations for preventing injuries with needles
outlined under universal precautions should be followed.
6. Laboratory work surfaces should be decontaminated with an appropriate
chemical germicide after a spill of blood or other body fluids and when work
activities are completed.
7. Contaminated materials used in laboratory tests should be decontaminated
before reprocessing or be placed in bags and disposed of in accordance with
institutional policies for disposal of infective waste (24).
8. Scientific equipment that has been contaminated with blood or other body
fluids should be decontaminated and cleaned before being repaired in the
laboratory or transported to the manufacturer.
9. All persons should wash their hands after completing laboratory activities and
should remove protective clothing before leaving the laboratory.
Implementation of universal blood and body-fluid precautions for all patients
eliminates the need for warning labels on specimens since blood and other body
fluids from all patients should be considered infective.
Environmental Considerations for HIV Transmission
No environmentally mediated mode of HIV transmission has been documented.
Nevertheless, the precautions described below should be taken routinely in the care
of all patients.
Sterilization and Disinfection
Standard sterilization and disinfection procedures for patient-care equipment
currently recommended for use (25,26) in a variety of health-care settings-including
hospitals, medical and dental clinics and offices, hemodialysis centers, emergencycare facilities, and long-term nursing-care facilities-are adequate to sterilize or
disinfect instruments, devices, or other items contaminated with blood or other body
fluids from persons infected with blood-borne pathogens including HIV (21,23).

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