Occupational Risks and Exposures Among Wildlife Health Professionals

Details

• Personal Author:
  Garland-Lewis G ; Murray S ; Rabinowitz PM ; Trufan S ; Whittier C
• Description:
  Most emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin, with wildlife a frequent source of zoonotic disease events. Although individuals with extensive wildlife contact may be at the greatest risk of contracting novel infectious agents, the occupational risk of those working closely with wildlife has not been well studied. This study assessed the occupational exposures among wildlife health professionals working in multiple countries worldwide. An occupational risk survey of past and present exposures was developed and administered online in a confidential manner to wildlife workers recruited through an ongoing international wildlife pathogen surveillance project. Surveys were completed by 71 participants in 14 countries. Significant lifetime exposures reported included bites from bats and rodents and touching dead animals. Completion of training in occupational safety was reported by 75% of respondents. While gloves were used for most tasks, use of N95 respirators and other personal protective equipment varied by task. Eighty percent of workers reported rabies vaccination. Some respondents indicated interest in enhanced occupational health services targeting their unique needs. Wildlife workers represent an occupational population at risk of zoonotic infection and injury. Enhanced occupational health services targeting wildlife workers could reduce the risk and sequelae of zoonotic exposure and infection. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Animal Handlers Author Keywords: Wildlife Infection Prevention Infectious Diseases International Occupational Health N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators Occupational Disease Occupational Exposure Occupational Safety Personal Protective Equipment PPE Wildlife Workers Zoonoses

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• ISSN:
  1612-9202
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  20-28
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063777
• Citation:
  EcoHealth 2017 Mar; 14(1):20-28
• Contact Point Address:
  Gemina Garland-Lewis, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Center for One Health Research, School of Public Health, University of Washington., 1959 NE Pacific St. HSB F551, Box 357234, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
• Email:
  gemina@uw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  EcoHealth
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2927537a51d900d30d86466cc29815e885ad5438db55437f625cdd95c85ca846fe09fe8f47e75f398cd27298b3fdb189975f67f04fc1afb680419849843496d5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222333/cdc_222333_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 611.76 KB ]