Evaluation of Blood and Fluids Exposure to Health of Health Care Workers in Uganda

Introduction
The Occupational environment in which the health care workers operate in developing countries especially Uganda often put their health in hazardous situations leading them into acquiring fatal diseases which lead to death. Exposure to Hepatitis C and B viruses through accidental blood contact which leads to development of liver related complications, Occupationally acquired HIV which eventually results to the development of HIV/AIDS ,needle stick injuries which occur during blood draw and surgery may lead to viral infections, hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola which leads to death if one gets in contact with the blood or fluids , exposure to sputum samples suspected to be containing active mycobacterium tuberculosis during handling and processing of the sample. There is need to improve the health of health care workers in Uganda and it has caused great concern to the Ministry of Health Officials in Uganda as well as the expatriates from World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO).

Methods
Records of accidents in 5 hospitals were checked randomly around Uganda’s capital –Kampala.

Results
Of all the 57 health care workers, 80% were exposed blood, 60 % needle stick injuries, 0.1% exposed to Hepatitis B and C, 20% occurring during disposal of sharp needles, 25% during procedure. Of these 20 known cases, 5%of the health care workers were infected with HIV/AIDS despite receiving post exposure prophylaxis, 1.0% developed active tuberculosis, and 1.0% developed liver cirrhosis.

Discussion
Prevention strategies for occupationally acquired HIV infection should continue by putting in place safety and health committees in order to avoid blood exposures. The health workers should be educated about the importance of post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and its limitations, which does not prevent HIV infection following its exposure. Emphasis should be made on personal protective equipment (PPE).