“Adam, stop suturing. You’re bleeding.” A look of terror flushed over me as I removed the needle from the extraction socket. I recalled my patient’s mention of Hepatitis B and immediately panicked. Thoughts of possible co-infection with HIV or Hepatitis C set in. My first sharps injury, and there I stood, helpless and afraid, as I bled from a cut to my thumb.
We learn all about these types of occupational exposures in the classroom. But sometimes, when faced with a real-life situation requiring a rapid decision, it can be hard to know how best to react. While we work carefully to avoid these incidents, they can and will happen. It’s our duty to protect our patients and ourselves by quickly managing and accurately reporting these exposures as they occur.
When the water source of a small community in Michigan was switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River due to financial issues, the devastating long term effects of this decision took the nation by storm. During the nearly two years that the city of Flint was using the toxic water source, its citizens cried out for help. But by the time the city reacted, the damage was irreversible in many ways. According to an article from NPR on April 20, 2016, a resident of Flint had her water tested for lead at 104,000 parts per billion in 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency’s limit for drinking water is 15,000 parts per billion.
For most of us, mosquitoes are an annoying summer pest. But in other countries, mosquitoes can carry diseases such as dengue, chikungunya or malaria. Best case scenario, you’ll win some general itchiness. Fortunately, for us living here in the United States, our minds rest easy knowing that the risks of catching any mosquito-borne disease are slim. First-world luxuries such as air conditioning and screened windows can prevent mosquito infestations. Most U.S. streets lack standing pools of water, the beloved nests of mosquito larvae, and when the threat of being bitten is imminent, we liberally spray plumes of OFF! mosquito repellent.