Health and Community Services Module

HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C

The Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2001 require all cases of notifiable infectious diseases to be reported to the Department of Human Services. This includes HIV infection, AIDS and tuberculosis.

The Department of Human Services is responsible for initiating the control procedures for infectious diseases. Policies on HIV/AIDS infection are developed by the Department.

Employees who have tested positive for AIDS antibodies and are healthy do not need to be excluded from their normal duties, with two exceptions: as with others suffering from an infectious disease, they should not participate in training for the administration of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and they should not care for patients who have any disease that affects the immune system. These exceptions are because of the risk of transmitting infections to these patients.

Your employer must make sure employees who have tested positive for Hepatitis B and C or HIV/AIDS follow some general precautions to prevent the transmission of the disease. This includes:

not donating blood
covering any cuts or abrasions with a waterproof dressing
wearing gloves when dealing with patients if skin is broken
washing hands thoroughly after contact with their own blood or other body fluids
not sharing personal items such as razors and toothbrushes, and
having regular follow-up medical assessments (in the case of HIV/AIDS).

There is no likelihood of catching HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis B or C from casual contact at work. As Hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS are blood borne diseases, it is not necessary for the employer to be informed that the employee is infected, unless warranted by their particular situation, e.g. doctors and dentists where the risk of infection is increased due to contact with body fluids. Understanding, open communication, support and assistance are needed.