CDC, OSHA issues guidelines to help prevent Zika infections — 4 takeaways

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are outlining the infection control precautions healthcare and laboratory workers should use to prevent the spread of the Zika virus, according to MedPage Today.

Here are four takeaways:

1. Precautions in the guidelines include, but are not limited to, hand hygiene and personal protective equipment to avoid direct contact with blood and other potentially infectious materials, including laboratory specimens/samples.

2. The guidance also warns healthcare workers not to bend, recap or remove contaminated needles or other contaminated sharps, but rather properly dispose of these items in closable, puncture-resistant, leak-proof and labeled or color-coded containers.

3. Healthcare research laboratories should ensure that their facilities and practices meet the appropriate biosafety level for the type of work being conducted in the laboratory.

4. The guidance, which also includes recommendations for mosquito control workers, general outdoor workers and business travelers, will be updated as new information becomes available.

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