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Ah....did not see the bit about students :) On Mar 10, 2013 9:20 AM, "Diane Romano-Woodward" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I can see where social worker who are working in roles with increased risk > of attack, might benefit from Hep B. In fact the WHO recommends it for > everyone and in most other countries it is part of the national > immunisation schedule. I had my children vaccinated against it age 16 and > paid for it. > But the question is about Social Work students. I am presuming they will > be supervised in some way... recognising that the supervisor may not be > physically present but should have done some risk assessment (even if only > in their head) and not sent them into situations which were high risk. > Students are not perceived to have the skills and underpinning knowledge > and experience of someone who has mastered their craft. That might be the > second sense when something is going wrong and the confidence to remove > yourself from the situation. > > For these reasons, for example, student doctors and nurses should not take > blood from those who are known to carry blood borne viruses. They are > probably less physically adept in undertaking the procedure and > are therefore at higher risk of inoculation injury. > > It would probably be good to have a formal policy that said if a student > was attacked, bitten etc they should go to A&E and inform the students of > this and explain why.Perhaps produce a credit card sized > instruction to carry with them > > TB is actually quite difficult to catch. The recommendation is that BCG > is given to > health care workers, veterinary staff, staff working in prisons, > residential homes, shelters for the homeless or hostels for refugees > > http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/tuberculosis.htm#ixzz2N7qRbvXE > > Anyone can get TB. But it is difficult to catch. You are most at risk if > someone living in the same house has the disease, or a close friend has the > disease. > > The following people have a greater chance of becoming ill with > tuberculosis if exposed to it: > > - Those in very close contact with infectious people > - Children > - Elderly people > - Diabetics > - People on steroids > - People on other drugs affecting the body’s defence system > - People who are HIV-positive > - People in overcrowded poor housing > - People who are dependent on drugs or alcohol > - People with chronic poor health > - > > > http://www.wsh.nhs.uk/PatientsVisitors/InfectionControl/INFECTIONS/TuberculosisFAQ.aspx > > So there might be some value in giving BCG to SW students who had > pre-existing conditions such as diabetes.(and possibly those on > methotrexate as it reduces white cell count and immunity). Not likely to > be a large proportion of SW students. > > "BCG is contraindicated in symptomatic HIV-positive individuals. In > countries such as the UK where the risk of TB is low, it is recommended > that BCG is also withheld from all those known to be or suspected to be > HIV positive, regardless of clinical status" > https://www.wp.dh.gov.uk/immunisation/files/2012/07/chap-32-dh_128356.pdf > > > With regards to chickenpox, a history of the disease is acceptable unless > the person comes from outside the UK. > > "Since chickenpox is so common in childhood, 90% of adults raised in the > UK are immune." > > For healthcare workers: > "A recent survey showed that a history of chickenpox is a less reliable > predictor of immunity in > individuals born and raised overseas (MacMahon et al., 2004) and routine testing > should be considered " > > https://www.wp.dh.gov.uk/immunisation/files/2012/07/Green-Book-Chapter-34-v2_0.pdf > > Cheers > Diane > > > > > > > > > > > > > ******************************** Please remove this footer before > replying. > > OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html > > CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH > ******************************** Please remove this footer before replying. OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH