AMLS Ch. 8 - Infectious Disease

Which of the following is an occupational exposure incident? a. You notice blood spattered on the intact skin of your forearm after a call. b. You stick your finger on a contaminated lancet at your brother's house. c. Blood sprays in your face when a child with a face laceration sneezes. d. A patient you cared for is reported to be HIV positive.

c. An exposure incident is specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, nonintact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that results from the performance of a healthcare worker's duties.

Hepatitis A (HAV) is transmitted by which route? a. Airborne b. Droplet c. Oral-fecal d. Bloodborne

c. Hepatitis A is typically found in the feces of infected people. It replicates in the liver but doesn't damage the liver. Unlike other hepatitis infections, HAV is not transmitted by droplets, airborne, or bloodborne routes.

Which sign or symptom can help diagnose headache from meningococcal meningitis? a. Fever b. Light sensitivity c. Petechial rash d. Stiff neck

c. The rash related to viral meningitis is red and flat.

A patient infected with which disease should be assessed for pneumonia, encephalitis, and myocarditis? a. Infectious parotitis b. Pertussis c. Rubella d. Rubeola

Rubeola is associated with many complications.

Antibodies that are produced from lymphocytes are known as what kind of immunity? a. Humoral b. Cell-mediated c. Autoimmunity d. Artificial

a. Cellular immunity is a direct attack on pathogens by lymphocytes and other cells. Autoimmunity is an abnormal immune response against the body's own proteins or tissue.

You are treating a patient who has been diagnosed with herpes simplex type 1. He exhibits no signs or symptoms at this time. He is in which stage of the communicable disease? a. Latent disease b. Incubation period c. Communicability period d. Disease period

a. During the latent stage of a disease, the infection is inactive but may still be communicable. The incubation period ranges from hours to years, during which the pathogen may be reproducing but not causing signs or symptoms. The communicable period comprises the period when the infection can be spread to another person. The disease period begins with the onset of symptoms or disruption of normal body function.

While treating a trauma patient, you lacerate your hand. Your bleeding hand comes in contact with the blood of the patient. What action is most important to increase your chance of appropriate follow-up? a. Ask the patient if they are infected with HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C. b. Complete an incident report, and contact your chief officer on the next business day. c. Make an appointment to see occupational health within 1 week. d. Notify the receiving facility and your designated infection control officer immediately.

d. Immediate reporting is essential for prompt source-patient testing and prophylaxis administration. Refer to agency and local protocols for direction.

Your adolescent patient presents with fever, malaise, sneezing, and paroxysmal spasmodic coughing phases. Which infectious disease would you suspect? a. Tuberculosis b. Rubella c. Pneumonia d. Pertussis

d. Pertussis is a bacterial infection characterized by a whooping cough or spasmodic, paroxysmal coughing phases.

Which agency oversees the compliance, tracking and reporting, and guidelines for preventing transmission of bloodborne pathogens in the workplace? a. Department of Public Health b. Food and Drug Administration c. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) d. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

d. The Department of Health ensures the federal regulations are implemented and monitored at the state level. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures the safety of prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs and medical devices. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitors epidemiology on the international level and is responsible for tracking and improving outcomes related to infectious disease. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) specifies personal protective equipment (PPE) for professionals and oversees compliance, inspection, tracking of exposure, and postexposure reports of airborne and bloodborne pathogens.

The best measures you can take to reduce your risk of acquiring hepatitis C from an occupational exposure is to: a. Be vaccinated. b. Get immune globulin if you have an exposure. c. Take postexposure drugs as prescribed. d. Use Standard Precautions.

d. There is no immunization or postexposure prophylaxis to protect against hepatitis C.