I’m sure you’ll agree that certain precautions are needed when it comes to taking a blood sample. These precautions are called Universal Precautions by the CDC, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are defined as being ―

”A set of precautions designed to prevent transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and other blood borne pathogens, when providing first aid or health care."

Universal Precautions are the steps you need to take to ensure that both you and your participants are not exposed to any infectious blood or bodily fluid at your WIC clinic. The term universal is used because it is assumed that all blood and bodily fluids from any person should be considered potentially infectious. It is assumed that everyone could be infected, whether they appear sick or not, so use these precautions with everyone, including those in the same family.

We’ll take a look at how to apply the Universal Precautions in the lab, starting with the use of disposable gloves.