Medical professionals who have infectious diseases

[sirfoxey]

Firstly i want to say, i am not sure if there are laws prohibiting medical professionals continuing to work if they have a infectious disease, but I don't think there is which is why I created this thread.

What do people here think about people in the medical profession such as surgeons and nurse who have infectious diseases such as aids, hep c etc continuing to work.

Would you like to be treated by them?

I personally wouldn't mind having a nurse treat me as long as the correct precautions were taken which applied to all nurses regardless. I wouldn't even care if i didn't know of their infection.

Though if they were a surgeon I am not sure i would like them operating on me. Due to the fear they could cut themselves and infect me while operating on me with sharp tools.

[dvder]

me..mmm they shouldn't be practicing [sp] why there infectious :confused:

[Diabolical]

I don't have a problem with it. I also don't think they should have to divulge their status as the majority of people have very little information and knowledge about these disease's and would discriminate unnecessarily against them. In most cases the chances of cross infection are negligible. It is not a law that a patient informs medical professionals about their status when receiving treatment, why should medical professionals have to do so when supplying treatment?

[Hermit]

When you look at infections it seems that personal infections are much easier to control than general ones that cause epidemics in hospitals. The chance of being infected by one of the former is truly insignificant compared to being harmed by one of the latter.

From time to time articles appear that desribe the horrific extent of epidemics, but I can't be bothered to chase them up now.

Suffice it to say that I am not at all apprehensive about contracting hepatitis or AIDS from a medical staff member when placed in relation to general infections - like golden staph - that you can contract simply by being in a hospital or private practice.

[Diabolical]

Suffice it to say that I am not at all apprehensive about contracting hepatitis or AIDS from a medical staff member when placed in relation to general infections - like golden staph - that you can contract simply by being in a hospital or private practice.

Golden staff is no longer. It's called MRSA - Multi Resistant Staphylococcal Aureus. Nasty little bug that you can only catch in a hospital. This is what the overuse of antibiotics has given us....super bugs that no known antibiotic can kill.

Anywho...there's an epidemic in Sydney at the moment. I forget the name of the virus but it's an airborne gastroenteritis. Funny how little (read nothing) you hear of it in the news...I guess the trots and spews just isn't glamorous enough for them.

[amber.2]

how many drs make mistakes when operating and the patient dies,and its put down to infection or unforeseen circumstances.
I bet heaps of people have died through the drs incompetence

[Diabolical]

how many drs make mistakes when operating and the patient dies,and its put down to infection or unforeseen circumstances.
I bet heaps of people have died through the drs incompetence

Unfortunately it does happen, yes. I don't think "heaps" would be a correct estimate, though. Doctors are human, they make mistakes, only the stakes are higher. Your doctor fucks up, you could die....your mechanic fucks up, then your car doesn't run...no biggie in the scheme of things. I prefer to focus on the good they do, which is infinitely greater than the bad.

[vunie]

it depends on the disease.
people with cold/flu aren't allowed to handle food, i imagine the same would/should apply to medical professionals
but things like hiv/aids are transferred by blood and as diabolical said the chance of cross-contamination is very low

[amber.2]

my mother went into hospital for minor bowel surgery,2 days later she looked fine but apparently they didnt put surgical stocking on her and she developed a clot and had a major stroke. From which she never recovered.it took 4 years for to go from a healthy 76 years to a twisted heap of bones,.
I never wish this on any body,to be in that state and have no control of things around you, In the end i was glad she had passed away for her sake

[vunie]

that's a terrible thing to happen

[vunie]

When you look at infections it seems that personal infections are much easier to control than general ones that cause epidemics in hospitals. The chance of being infected by one of the former is truly insignificant compared to being harmed by one of the latter.

it only takes one infected person to start an epidemic
i can't remember all the details but there was a cook or kitchenhand ages ago in london(?) who had some sort of infectious disease. anyway because she didn't observe hygienic practices, she basically started a widescale epidemic

[Diabolical]

it only takes one infected person to start an epidemic
i can't remember all the details but there was a cook or kitchenhand ages ago in london(?) who had some sort of infectious disease. anyway because she didn't observe hygienic practices, she basically started a widescale epidemic

Mary Mallon was her name, better known as Typhoid Mary. She was attributed to approx. 47 cases of typhoid fever, 3 of them resulting in death. It happened in the States, in the 1900's.

[Darcy321]

Golden staff was found in my school gym, we had to take swabs and culture them in petri dishes and i ended up with golden staff in mine from a swab of the good old gym floor. hehe


my stance, is that I see it morally wrong to not allow someone to do their job because of a disease they cannot help, especially when they put themselves at risk of contracting diseases every day (they are more likely to catch things from patients than give them to patients I'd think).

But I know if I was informed that my dr/nurse/whoever had Hep C or AIDS, I wouldn't like it, I'd probably ask for a different person, I know that it terrible, but infectious diseases are one of my main fears, when I was 8 I read an encylopedia I had about AIDS and under one section it said 'always fatal' ever since then I have been completely scared of contracting such a disease,

So all in all i really don't know what kind of solution there is.