Wear disposable gloves if there is contact with body fluid. Wear household gloves for general cleaning activities.
Wear gloves when you might have direct contact with:
- Blood
- Infectious materials such as body fluids
- Mucous membranes
- Non-intact skin
- Surfaces soiled with blood or other infectious materials
Always wear gloves if you have open cuts, sores, or dermatitis on your hands.
Use disposable gloves made of intact latex or intact vinyl. Don’t use gloves if they are peeling, cracked, or discolored, or if they have holes or tears in them. If someone is eligible for Medicaid, Medicaid will pay for disposable gloves; ask your physician for a prescription. Be sure the pharmacy you use will accept Medicaid payment for supplies.
Care workers, like all health care professionals, must take precautions to help prevent the spread of diseases and infestations in their workplaces.
Universal precautions are designed to prevent health care workers from transferring infections to patients, and from infecting themselves.
Disease-causing agents may be present in body substances, even when a person does not look or act sick. Therefore, universal precautions should be used whenever you come into contact with body fluids from any other person.