Legal Documents of Sweetwater

All blood and other potentially infectious materials are infectious for several blood-borne pathogens. Some body fluids can also transmit infections. For this reason, the Center for Disease Control developed the strategy that everyone should always take particular care when there is a potential exposure. These precautions have been termed "universal precautions."

Universal precautions stress that all persons should be assumed to be infectious for HIV and/or other blood-borne pathogens. Universal precautions apply to blood, tissues, and other potentially infectious materials. Universal precautions also apply to semen, (although occupational risk or exposure is quite limited), vaginal secretions, and to cerebrospinal, synovial, pleural, peritoneal, pericardial and amniotic fluids. Universal precautions do not apply to feces, nasal secretions, human breast milk, sputum, saliva, sweat, tears, urine, and vomitus unless these substances contain visible blood.