In 2007, the World Health Organization estimated annual global<unk> es at 2 million per year, and another investigation estimated 3.5 million<unk> es yearly. The European Biosafety Network estimated 1 million<unk> es annually in Europe. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates 5.6 million workers in the healthcare industry are at risk of occupational exposure to blood-borne diseases via percutaneous<unk> . The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates more than 600,000<unk> es occur among healthcare workers in the US annually. It is difficult to establish correct figures for the risk of exposure or the incidence of<unk> es. First of all it is difficult to observe a<unk> , either in oneself or in other persons. Glove perforations in surgeons are considered a reasonable proxy that can be measured objectively. Even though glove perforations can be objectively measured, it is still unclear what the relation is between glove perforations and<unk> es. Another problem is underreporting of<unk> es. It is estimated that half of all occupational<unk> es are not reported. Additionally, an unknown number of occupational<unk> es are reported by the affected employee, yet due to organizational failure, institutional record of the<unk>  does not exist. This makes it difficult to determine what the exact risk of exposure is for various medical occupations. Most studies use databases of reported<unk> es to determine preventable causes. However this is different from establishing an exposure risk. Among healthcare workers, nurses and physicians appear especially at risk; those who work in an operating room environment are at the highest risk. An investigation among American surgeons indicates that almost every surgeon experienced at least one such<unk>  during their training. More than half of<unk> es that occur during surgery happen while surgeons are sewing the muscle or fascia. Within the medical field, specialties differ in regard to the risk of<unk> : surgery, anesthesia, otorhinolaryngology (ENT), internal medicine, and dermatology have high risk, whereas radiology and pediatrics have relatively low rates of<unk> . A systematic review of 45 studies of sharps<unk> es in surgical staff found that sharps<unk> es occur once in 10 operations per staff member. Per 100 person-years, the<unk>  rate in surgical staff was 88.2 (95% CI, 61.3-126.9; 21 studies) for self-reported<unk> es, 40.0 for perforations (95% CI, 19.2-83.5; 15 studies), and 5.8 for administrative<unk> es (95% CI, 2.7-12.2; 5 studies). Self-report probably overestimates the real risk and administrative data underestimate the risk considerably. Perforation data are probably the most valid indicators. Considering that the perforation rates provided here are much lower than the self-reported<unk> es used to calculate the burden of disease due to sharps<unk> es by the WHO, these calculations should be revised. In the United States, approximately half of all<unk> es affecting health care workers are not reported, citing the long reporting process and its interference with work as their reason for not reporting an incident. The availability of hotlines, witnesses, and response teams can increase the percentage of reports. Physicians are particularly likely to leave a<unk>  unreported, citing worries about loss of respect or a low risk perception. Low risk perception can be caused by poor knowledge about risk, or an incorrect estimate of a particular patient's risk. Surveillance systems to track<unk> es include the National Surveillance System for Healthcare Workers (NaSH), a voluntary system in the northeastern United States, and the Exposure Prevention Information Network (EPINet), a recording and tracking system that also gathers data.
Needlestick injury
Animal bite
Spider bite
Stab wound
Dog bite
Self-inflicted wound
Insect bites and stings
Cat bite