A serious disease caused by a virus that affects the liver. Each year it is estimated that:

• 200,000 people are infected with HBV in the U.S.
• > 11,000 people are hospitalized because of HBV.
• 4,000-5,000 people die from chronic hepatitis B.

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS

A virus which causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome(AIDS). Worldwide there are> 30 million people now living with HIV/AIDS with 16,000 new infections occurring each day. Projected that by the year 2000 the number of people living with AIDS will grow to 40 million.

Much progress is being made towards the development of an AIDS vaccine.

Source: UNAIDS

Contact With Blood/Other Potentially Infectious Materials.

• parenteral routes-needle sticks, IV drug use, mother to fetus.
• Mucous membrane routes-eyes, nose, mouth, contamination from splashes, sexual contact (anal, oral, vaginal.)
• Cutaneous routes-contamination from non-intact skin, open cuts, sores, eczema.

blood, blood products, semen, vaginal fluids, breast milk.

urine, feces, tears, nasal secretions, sweat, sputum, and vomitus.

No symptoms; acute illness (mild to severe); chronic infection; cirrhosis (liver damage); liver cancer, death due to liver failure.

HIV INFECTION/AIDS:

HIV+ AIDS

Weakness, nausea, diarrhea, sorethroat, headache. Can be without symptoms for years. Weakening of the immune system, life threatening illnesses, (e.g., TB, Pneumocystis, Carinii Pneumonia, Kaposi's Sarcoma, and Cytomegalovirus.)

No known cure to date.