Occupational Infectious Diseases in Argentina

Introduction: In Argentina, Occupational Infectious Diseases are included in an official closed list of occupational diseases edited by the Executive Power. Occupational diseases caused by other infectious agents have to be presented to an official Medical Commission, that consider each individual case to determine the occupational origin of the disease. This Commission is not allowed to include new agents in the list, only the Executive Power is allowed to do this. Methods:  Legislation and official statistics have been revised and analyzed in a descriptive study.   Results:  Only 17 infectious agents were included in the original list of 1996: Brucella, Hepatitis A, B and C viruses, Bacillus anthracis, Leptospira, Chlamydia psittaci, Histoplasma capsulatum, Echinococcus granulosus, Plasmodium, Leishmania donovani chagasi, Yellow Fever virus, Haemorrhagic Fever viruses, Cytomegalovirus, HIV/AIDS, Herpes simplex virus, and Candida albicans. In 2000, two more infectious agents were included: Hantavirus and Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease).   Between 1996 and 2010, the most frequent occupational infectious disease in Argentina was Brucellosis, a zoonosis related to slaughter house operators and veterinarians. The second most frequent occupational infectious disease in the same period was Tuberculosis related to Health Care Workers. Discussion:  The closed list of Occupational Infectious Diseases should be revised by the Executive Power and new emerging and re-emerging occupational infectious agents should be included.