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Surveillance
of Healthcare Personnel with HIV/AIDS, as of December 2001
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Of the adults reported
with AIDS in the United States through December 31, 2001, 23,951 had a
history of employment in health care1. These cases represented
5.1 percent of the 469,850 AIDS cases reported to CDC for whom occupational
information was known (information on employment was missing for 337,225
reported AIDS cases).
The type
of job is known for 22,420 (94%) of the 23,951 reported health care workers
with AIDS. (See the box to the right.) The “other” category is comprised of
maintenance workers, administrative staff, and other nonmedical staff. Overall,
73% of the health care workers with AIDS, including 1,384 physicians, 88
surgeons, 3,856 nurses, 378 dental workers, and 317 paramedics, are
reported to have died.
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Adults reported with AIDS and a
history of employment in healthcare, where job is known, by occupation,
as of December 2001.
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Occupation
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Number
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Nurses
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5,211
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Health aides
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6,365
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Technicians
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3,086
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Physicians
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1,760
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Therapists
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1,050
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Dental workers
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486
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Paramedics
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463
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Surgeons
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119
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Other
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3,880
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Fifty-seven
healthcare personnel in the United States have been documented as having seroconverted
to HIV following occupational exposures. (See table below for their
occupations.) Twenty-six have developed AIDS. The exposures resulting in
infection were as follows: 48 had percutaneous (puncture/cut injury)
exposure; 5, mucocutaneous (mucous membrane and/or skin) exposure; 2 both
percutaneous and mucocutaneous exposure; and 2, an unknown route of
exposure. Forty-nine healthcare personnel were exposed to HIV-infected
blood; 3, to concentrated virus in a laboratory; 1, to visibly bloody
fluid; and 4, to an unspecified fluid.
In
addition, 138 other cases of HIV infection or AIDS have occurred among
healthcare personnel who have not reported other risk factors for HIV
infection and who report a history of occupational exposure to blood, body
fluids, or HIV-infected laboratory material, but for whom seroconversion
after exposure was not documented. The number of these workers who acquired
their infection through occupational exposures is unknown.
No new
documented cases of occupationally acquired HIV/AIDS have been reported
since June 2001. One new case of possible occupational transmission has
been reported. The number of possible cases may decrease if individuals are
reclassified when a nonoccupational risk is identified or may increase if
new cases are reported.
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Healthcare personnel with documented
and possible occupationally acquired AIDS/HIV infection, by occupation,
as of December 2001.
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Occupation
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Documented
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Possible
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Nurse
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24
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35
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Laboratory worker, clinical
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16
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17
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Physician, nonsurgical
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6
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12
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Laboratory technician, nonclinical
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3
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-
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Housekeeper/maintenance worker
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2
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13
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Technician, surgical
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2
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2
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Embalmer/morgue technician
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1
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2
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Health aide/attendant
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1
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15
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Respiratory therapist
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1
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2
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Technician, dialysis
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1
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3
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Dental worker, including dentist
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-
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6
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Emergency medical technician/paramedic
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-
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12
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Physician, surgical
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-
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6
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Other technician/therapist
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-
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9
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Other healthcare occupation
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-
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4
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Total
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57
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138
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1Healthcare personnel are defined
as those persons, including students and trainees, who have worked in a
healthcare, clinical, or HIV laboratory setting at any time since 1978. See
MMWR 1992;41:823-5.
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