Which of the following statements best explains why many health care providers are more afraid of getting hepatitis B than HIV?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Both HBV and HIV are blood-borne pathogens.Health care workers may be exposed to either from needle stick injuries and mucous membrane splashes.However,HBV remains alive outside the body for a longer time than does HIV and thus has greater infectivity.The virus can survive for at least 1 week dried at room temperature on environmental surfaces,and therefore infection control measures are crucial in preventing transmission.There is no treatment for hepatitis B,and although some persons never have symptoms and others fight off the disease,many suffer from chronic hepatitis B,a very serious illness.Others may become chronic carriers of the disease.There are multiple populations that have a high prevalence of HBV including injection drug users,persons with STDs or multiple sex partners,immigrants and refugees and their descendents who came from areas where there is a high endemic rate of HBV,health care workers,clients on hemodialysis,and inmates of long-term correctional institutions.Those who are infected with HBV are still able to work in health care.There is no evidence that the fatality rate is higher or sooner with HBV than with HIV.

Which of the Following Statements Best Explains Why Many Health