Question

You have been notified that one of your softball players has been diagnosed as HIV positive but are not told which athlete it is. You ask and are told that this information is confidential and that you should treat all athletes as if they are infected. 1. Discuss the pros and cons of this situation from the perspective of infection control. Your pitcher takes a line drive right in the face and is bleeding profusely. 2. Explain the steps you would take in managing this situation. 3. Include the steps taken to control the bleeding as well as any other evaluation you think should be conducted.

Answer 1

HIV (HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS): HIV is different from AIDS. HIV infects and destroys white blood cells which are an integral part of the human immune system.

PROS AND CONS: Blood is the primary source of infection for HIV and is the major route of transmission. Moreover, identifying the person with an infected HIV disease has the potential benefit to both individuals and the public health. If the person reported as infected, then the person can be referred to health departments for further medical treatment. However, naming the individual compromises confidentiality. Fear of being identified on disease could deter people from seeking medical care or disease testing, therefore harming the individuals by causing delays in care results in threatening of public health which further results in spread of diseases. Awareness can be created among other atheletes which also helps from passage of infections. Effective testing and treatment plan can be fromulated incase the person is severly infected and supports can be given in view to overcome fears. On the otherhand, identifying the infected person may results in lack of support and care from other teammates which further deteriorate the health of the person.

STEPS: Perfect planning is important before managing this situation. First of all, the person should be made aware of spreading of diseases if not treated and should explain effective treatment plan for the same. Moreover, Personal Protective Measures should be used if treating the patient because it is easy for the infected virus to enter others body. Further testing should be done before confirming the diseases. On top of all, family support, love and care is needed the patient to overcome this infection.

WHAT STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO CONTROL BLEEDING: Universal precautions should be taken to control the bleeding in a patient.a) Hands should be washed before and after providing basic first aid b) Wear personal protective measures before make contact with infected person or blood c) Be attentive to avoid contact with blood and bloody fluids d) should instruct the victim to apply direct pressure on the wound e) if the person cannot stop the bleeding, can use a clean, thick cloth as a barrier to avoid direct contact with the blood. If this is not efficient, apply proximal pressure to the main artery, which is a direct pressure on the artery above the injury site to stop the bleeding f) clean the contaminated area with a disinfectant ( for instance; household bleach dilute1:10 with water). Wait for 10 minutes before rinsing the area. g) Place all contaminated material in a plastic bag or separate container for disposal and should be appropriately labelled before disposing.