Points
To Ponder:
Many of us have been in situations that really
scared us, but did you know that blood-borne pathogens, as well as body fluids,
carry viruses, can make you DEATHLY ILL and could KILL you? Now, if thats not a
scary enough thought, here are some more interesting statistics

Did You Know:
That AIDS/HIV can be transmitted through ways other than
sexual contact? That AIDS/HIV can be transmitted by sharing needles, and through
open cuts in the skin?
The CDC also states that HIV is unable to reproduce
outside its living host (UNLIKE BACTERIA OR FUNGI, WHICH MAY REPRODUCE UNDER
OTHER CONDITIONS).
The reason for bringing this
is up is to encourage you to always try to be safe. Although HIV has been
transmitted between family members in a household setting, this type of
transmission is rare. You should, however, always take safety precautions to
ensure your safety. Some safety guidelines are as follows:
Gloves should be worn during contact with blood or other body fluids.
Cuts, sores, or breaks in the skin in both the caregiver and the patient should
always be bandaged.
Hands and other parts of the body should be washed immediately after contact
with blood or other body fluids.
SURFACES soiled with blood or other body fluids should be DISINFECTED
appropriately.
Dispose of any needles and other sharp instruments in a PUNCTURE PROOF
container.
Some HEPATITIS VIRUSES can be as deadly as the AIDS/HIV
virus. Lets take HAV (Hepatitis-A) for example. Even though it is primarily a
food virus, it can lead to other illnesses. HAV accounts for approximately
20,000 to 35,000 cases of food-borne illness each year in the United States.

Here are some facts about HBV (Hepatitis-B):
Worldwide, 1 out of 3 people have been infected
with the Hepatitis-B virus.
HBV is one of the most common and serious diseases in the world!
According to the Hepatitis B Foundation, there are approximately 400 million
chronic carriers of HBV worldwide. Over 75% of these carriers reside in the
Asia-Pacific region.
One million people die each year from acute and chronic
liver disease caused by HBV infection, making it the ninth leading cause of
death worldwide.
Nearly 300,000 people become infected each year with HBV. Of that number, one
out of ten becomes a chronic carrier. HBV is 100 times more infectious than the
AIDS virus. In the United States approximately 2 healthcare workers are infected
each day with HBV. There is a vaccine for HBV, but for the 400 million who are
already carriers of HBV the
vaccine is of no use.
HBV can be transmitted through any infected persons
mucus membranes upon contact with infected body fluids such as semen, vaginal
secretions, saliva, and blood. The highest concentration of the virus, however,
is found in the blood.
Because of the availability of a vaccine, HBV is one of
the most preventable STDs (Sexually Transmitted Disease). Most people dont
think of HBV as an STD.
And then there is HCV (Hepatitis C virus) which is a viral infection of the
liver.
HCV is transmitted by exposure to blood from an infected individual.
The greatest risk of transmitting HCV from person to person is during a period
of one or more weeks before onset of symptoms. However, since the majority of
people infected with HCV do not have symptoms, the period of communicability is
indeterminate.
Humans remain contagious as long as they carry the virus.

What about co-infection between HIV and HCV?
About one-quarter of HIV-infected persons in the United
States are also infected with HCV.
HCV is transmitted primarily by passages through the skin (cuts, sores,
any kind of break in the skin), as well as by exposure to contaminated blood.
Another deadly disease is TB (Tuberculosis). TB is a
disease that is spread from person to person through the air.
An estimated 10 to 15 million Americans are infected with the TB bacteria, with
the potential to develop active TB disease in the future.
Approximately 2 billion people (one third of the world population) are infected
with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of TB.
TB can also cause liver damage.
We have performed extensive research into diseases that
can be spread when an area has not been properly decontaminated. We
believe that we can make a major difference by helping to stop the spread
of such diseases.

West
Coast East Coast
1.866.581.1202
1.866.505.4111
Provides crime and trauma scene cleanup services in the states
of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana

to the
following cities
Abilene, Addison,
Aledo, Alice, Alief, Allen, Alpine, Alvarado, Alvin, Amarillo, Anahuac, Andrews,
Angleton, Aransas Pass, Arlington, Athens, Atlanta, Austin, Azle, Bandera,
Barker, Bastrop, Bay City, Baytown, Beaumont, Bedford, Beeville, Bellaire,
Bellville, Belton, Big Spring, Boerne, Bonham, Borger, Bowie, Brady, Brazoria,
Breckenridge, Brenham, Bridge City, Bridgeport, Brookshire, Brownfield,
Brownsville, Brownwood, Bryan, Buda, Buffalo, Bulverde, Burkburnett, Burleson,
Burnet, Caldwell, Cameron, Canadian, Canton Canyon, Canyon Lake, Carrizo
Springs, Carrollton, Carthage, Cedar Hill, Cedar Park Center, Channelview,
Childress, Clarksville, Cleburne, Cleveland, Clifton, Clute, Coldspring,
Coleman, College, Station, Colleyville, Columbus, Comanche, Comfort, Commerce,
Conroe, Coppell, Copperas Cove, Corpus Christi, Corsicana, Crockett, Crosby,
Crowley, Crystal City, Cuero, Cypress, Dalhart, Dallas, Dayton, Decatur, Deer
Park, Del Rio, Denison, Denton, Denver City, Desoto, Devine, Dickinson, Dimmitt,
Donna, Dripping Springs, Dumas, Duncanville, Eagle Pass, Eastland, Edinburg,
Edna, El Campo, El Paso, Elgin, Ennis, Euless, Fairfield, Falfurrias,
Floresville, Flower Mound, Forney, Fort Stockton, Fort Worth, Frankston,
Fredericksburg, Freeport, Friendswood, Frisco, Gainesville, Galveston, Garland,
Gatesville, Georgetown, Giddings, Gilmer, Gladewater, Glen Rose, Gonzales,
Graham, Granbury, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Greenville, Groesbeck, Groves,
Hallettsville, Haltom City, Hamilton, Harker Heights, Harlingen, Hearne,
Helotes, Hemphill, Hempstead, Henderson, Hereford, Hidalgo, Hillsboro,
Hitchcock, Hondo, Houston, Humble, Huntsville, Hurst, Ingram, Irving, Jacksboro,
Jacksonville, Jasper, Jefferson, Justin, Katy, Kaufman, Keller, Kemah, Kemp,
Kennedale, Kermit, Kerrville, Kilgore, Killeen, Kingsland, Kingsville, Kountze,
Kyle, La Grange, La Marque, La Porte, Lake Dallas, Lake Jackson, Lamesa,
Lampasas, Lancaster, Laredo, League City, Leander, Levelland, Lewisville,
Liberty, Lindale, Littlefield, Livingston, Llano, Lockhart, Mabank,
Madisonville, Magnolia, Manchaca, Mansfield, Manvel, Marble Falls, Marlin,
Marshall, Mathis, Mc Kinney, McAllen, Mercedes, Mesquite, Mexia, Midland,
Midlothian, Mineola, Mineral Wells, Mission, Missouri City, Monahans,
Montgomery, Mount Pleasant, Mount Vernon, Muleshoe, Nacogdoches, Navasota,
Nederland, Needville, New Boston, New Braunfels, Nocona, North Richland Hills,
Odessa, Orange, Palestine, Pampa, Paris, Pasadena, Pearland, Pearsall, Pecos,
Perryton, Pflugerville, Pharr, Pinehurst, Pittsburg, Plainview, Plano,
Pleasanton, Port Aransas, Port Arthur, Port Isabel, Port Lavaca, Port Neches,
Porter, Portland, Post, Quinlan, Quitman, Raymondville, Red Oak, Refugio,
Richardson, Richmond, Rio Grande City, Roanoke, Robstown, Rockdale, Rockport,
Rockwall, Rosenberg, Round Rock, Rowlett, Rusk, San Angelo, San Antonio, San
Augustine, San Benito, San Juan, San Marcos, San Saba, Sanger, Santa Fe,
Schertz, Schulenburg, Seabrook, Seagoville, Sealy, Seguin, Seminole, Sherman,
Silsbee, Sinton, Slaton, Smithville, Snyder, Sonora, South Houston, South Padre
Island, Southlake, Spearman, Splendora Spring, Spring Branch, Stafford,
Stephenville, Sugar Land, Sulphur Springs, Sunnyvale, Sweetwater, Taylor,
Temple, Terrell, Texarkana, Texas City, The Colony, Tomball, Trinity, Tulia,
Tyler, Universal City, Uvalde, Vernon, Victoria, Vidor, Waco, Waller,
Waxahachie, Weatherford, Webster, Weslaco, West Columbia, Wharton, Whitehouse,
Whitney, Wichita Falls, Willis, Wills Point, Wimberley, Winnie, Winnsboro,
Woodville, Woodway, Wylie, Yoakum, Zapata, Texas
|