Health Precautions and Guidelines During Training

Saving Breath has trained hundreds of people in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) using manikins as training aids. The Saving Breath follows widely accepted guidelines for cleaning and decontaminating training manikins. If these guidelines are adhered to, the risk of any kind of disease transmission during training is extremely low.

To help minimize the risk of disease transmission, you should follow some basic health precautions and guidelines while participating in training. You should take precautions if you have a condition that would increase your risk or other participants’ risk of exposure to infections. Request a separate training manikin if you—

Have an acute condition, such as a cold, a sore throat or cuts or sores on the hands or around your mouth.
Know you are seropositive (have had a positive blood test) for hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg),indicating that you are currently infected with the hepatitis B virus.*
Know you have a chronic infection indicated by long-term seropositivity (longterm positive blood tests) for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)* or a positive blood test for anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (that is, a positive test for antibodies to HIV, the virus that causes many severe infections including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]).
Have had a positive blood test for hepatitis C.
Have a condition that makes you unusually likely to get an infection.

To obtain information about testing for individual health status, visit the CDC Web site atwww.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm.

After a person has had an acute hepatitis B infection, he or she will no longer test positive for the surface antigen but will best positive for the hepatitis B antibody (anti-HBs). Persons who have been vaccinated for hepatitis B will also test positive for the hepatitis antibody. A positive test for the hepatitis B antibody (antiHBs) should not be confused with a positive test for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAG).

If you decide you should have your own manikin, ask your instructor if he or she can provide one for you to use. You will not be asked to explain why in your request. The manikin will not be used by anyone else until it has been cleaned according to the recommended end-of-class decontamination procedures. Because the number of manikins available for class use is limited, the more advance notice you give, the more likely it is that you can be provided a separate manikin.