NCJ Number
143745
Date Published
1991
Length
96 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the risk of transmission of HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) to police officers of the Ohio State highway patrol concludes that police officers should take precautionary measures to prevent AIDS transmission and should be vaccinated against HBV.
Abstract
No vaccine is available to prevent or cure AIDS. However, a vaccine is available to prevent HBV with nearly 90 percent effectiveness and to treat it with nearly 75 percent effectiveness. The Ohio Department of Health recommends that any person exposed to blood from another person at least once a month should be immunized against HBV. Highway patrol officers in enforcement positions are exposed one or more times a month to blood or bodily fluids from another person; in emergency situations, this contact may be prolonged. Therefore, they should be immunized. Exploring locally for cost-effective options could save thousands of dollars in the costs of immunization in comparison to a centralized program. Officers who are not currently exposed to bodily fluids must have an opportunity to enroll in the immunization program in the future if their occupational exposure changes. Appended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, sample consent form, compliance directive, and cost information