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Introduction

Communicable Disease Transmission & First Aid

More than 70% of cardiac arrests occur in the home. If you ever perform CPR on
somebody, it will more than likely be someone you know - a spouse, family mem-
ber, or friend - so you will have a fair knowledge of their health history. There is very
little risk that you will catch any kind of a disease doing CPR. To date, no cases
have been reported where a First Aider has been infected with HIV (AIDS virus) or
HBV (Hepatitis B virus) during a resuscitation attempt.

If you are a health care professional or providing first aid is part of your duties then
you should always take precautions against disease. Precautions include wearing
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, using barrier devices, and
washing your hands. A barrier device may be a face mask, face shield, or a mouth-
piece. Some barrier devices may be more difficult to use than others and require
more practice in their use. The mouth-to-mouth method generally works quite well
and should not be withheld if a barrier is not available.

Special care should be taken to prevent body fluids from coming into contact with
broken skin or the mucous membranes. Rescuers should attempt to avoid contact
with body fluids by wearing gloves and using barriers. Decontamination procedures
include washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water as soon after rendering
first aid as possible, avoid touching your own eyes and mouth, and disinfecting
any contaminated items by using a 1:9 solution of bleach to water.

Note: A handkerchief or paper tissue does not provide protection from catching a
disease.
Legalities

Many jurisdictions have “ Good Samaritan” laws, the purpose of which are to
protect First Aid providers, including individuals and health care providers from law-
suits stemming from them having rendered care to a person in an emergency.
In Ontario, Canada there are three pieces of legislation which directly protect the
First Aid provider. They are the Good Samaritan Act 2001, Sabrina’s Law, 2007
and the Chase McEachern Act, 2007

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