it is now time for the safety slap blood-borne pathogens are infectious microorganisms in the human blood that can cause disease in humans these pathogens include but are not limited to hepatitis B hepatitis C and HIV and now we're going to count down five of the wildest myths about blood-borne pathogens myth number five once exposed to a serious blood-borne pathogen such as HIV or hepatitis B it's too late to prevent infection false some illnesses can be prevented even after you come into contact with the virus if you take action immediately after exposure HIV and hbb are two such viruses however no treatment yet exists for the prevention of hepatitis C after exposure it's still best to take immediate action after coming into contact with a potentially infectious substance it couldn't hurt myth number four employees with dangerous blood-borne diseases are required to inform employers so they can take the proper protective measures false since every employee is entitled to his or her privacy employers must be relied upon to provide universal protection for any blood-borne risk myth number three viruses aren't contagious once exposed to oxygen most viruses like HIV do die within seconds of being exposed to air outside the body but depending on environmental factors and circumstances it could take longer even if the virus only lives for a few seconds there are countless ways you could come into contact with it don't let the short lifespan of a virus serve as your excuse to not follow exposure protocol myth number two blood-borne pathogens are harder to kill outside the body false both HIV and HPV can be effectively killed with a solution that contains at least 10 percent bleach if you think about it it would be easier to kill these viruses outside the body you aren't limited as substances that are harmful to human health and myth number one people that say I've been vaccinated I'm safe false it's true that vaccinations can protect you from contracting an illness or disease but they aren't 100% effective or safe just because you've been vaccinated for HPV doesn't mean you shouldn't react to exposure the same way you would if you hadn't been vaccinated look at all the people who get vaccinated for certain strains of flu and end up catching them anyway when it comes to blood-borne pathogens it's better to be safe than sorry thanks for watching the safety slap be sure to visit us at FSS america.com for more information