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Study investigates how healthcare workers caught H1N1

OSHA Healthcare Connection, December 28, 2010

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An investigation of confirmed cases of H1N1 among healthcare workers (HCW) during the 2009-2010 pandemic indicates that 50% were infected within a healthcare setting.

Of the HCWs infected by patients, only 20% used respiratory protection, such as N95 respirators or surgical masks, for all patient encounters. More than half of the confirmed HCW H1N1 infections occurred in outpatient settings.

These are some of the findings of “Transmission of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza to Healthcare Personnel in the United States,” an article by CDC researchers appearing in a special supplement on the H1N1 pandemic in the January Clinical Infectious Diseases.

More details about the study and links to the H1N1 supplement are available at the OSHA Healthcare Advisor.



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