ABSTRACT
While caring for pregnant patients, midwives and nurses are at risk from exposure to blood-borne pathogens potentially resulting in infections, such as HIV. Important risk factors for occupational HIV acquisition by midwives include the prevalence of HIV among patients, effi ciency of virus transmission after a single contact with blood, and the nature and frequency of such occupational contacts. This chapter reviews the HIV sero-prevalence among pregnant women as well as the nature, frequency and risk factors for exposures to blood or body fl uids in a health care setting, focusing on obstetrics and gynaecology. Cases of occupational HIV infection reported worldwide have been described in detail. The prevention of exposure to blood is the best method of avoiding the occupational risk of HIV infection, nevertheless adequate management of blood-borne exposure is essential for creating a safer health care workplace. Therefore, provision of immediate care to the exposure site as well as the need for the reporting of exposures to the appropriate hospital department and the principals of the post exposure prophylaxis are described in a separate section. A model of injury control developed by Haddon is presented to provide guidance for the prevention of occupational exposures to HIV. Finally, regulations and legislation acts aimed to prevent occupational exposure in the healthcare setting are outlined.
