[Precautions and recommended attitudes for hospital personnel and the patient's environment]

A transmissible agent especially a retrovirus (HTLV, LAV), is now widely considered in AIDS etiology. Similarities do exist between the epidemiology of AIDS and hepatitis B virus infections. Therefore, recommendations for preventing potential transmissions of AIDS are similar to those for preventing hepatitis B transmission. Nevertheless, the full blown disease called AIDS is probably one of the clinical expressions of the disease. Other clinical manifestations and healthy carriers should be eventually taken into consideration in respect of transmission. At the present time, there have been no documented cases of AIDS in medical care workers that can be to specific occupational exposures. In fact, transmissibility of AIDS seens very low.