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How biohazard training for first responders and property managers can help combat the fentanyl crisis

How biohazard training for first responders and property managers can help combat the fentanyl crisis

Yahoo23-04-2025

The fentanyl epidemic is most closely associated with drug users—often people who became addicted after being prescribed opioids for pain or injury. However, as abuse rates have increased, fentanyl has turned into a crisis for first responders, property managers, and maintenance workers who have to deal with the aftermath, Trauma Services reports.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids such as fentanyl were involved in 55,529 unintentional overdose deaths in 2023. Relatedly, accidental exposure among children increased by 1,194% between 2015 and 2023, according to The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Children are not the only ones at risk. Police officers, paramedics, and firefighters are accustomed to encountering fentanyl at overdose scenes and are trained in how to handle it.
However, property managers and maintenance crews, who are frequently tasked with cleaning up contaminated rental units and foreclosed homes, can unknowingly be exposed to serious health risks because they often lack proper biohazard training. In addition to fentanyl, other biohazards, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi that carry infectious diseases and bloodborne pathogens, can be a significant occupational hazard. Comprehensive biohazard training is critical to avoid these risks and liabilities.
During the course of responding to medical emergencies or cleaning up contaminated property, first responders, property managers, and maintenance workers commonly encounter the following types of biohazards:
1. Bloodborne Pathogens
Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms, such as viruses and bacteria, carried in blood and other bodily fluids that cause diseases, including hepatitis B and C, and HIV. These are frequently found in locations such as crime and overdose scenes, drug labs, unattended deaths, and abandoned property—often in the form of used needles and medical waste.
2. Drug Residue and Fentanyl Contamination
In spaces where drugs are illegally manufactured or used, residue from fentanyl, meth, heroin, and cocaine can settle on flooring and furnishings and in ventilation systems. If first responders or property managers come into contact with this residue—either directly on their skin or through inhalation—it can cause severe respiratory distress or accidental overdose.
3. Human Waste and Sewage Contamination
In places where plumbing backs up or there aren't adequate plumbing systems, such as neglected houses, hoarding situations, and homeless encampments, human waste can cause contamination. Diseases such as E. coli, hepatitis A, and norovirus are spread through accidental contact with fecal matter.
4. Mold and Fungal Contaminants
Mold and fungus can flourish after water damage, floods, or in damp, neglected areas. Black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum) and other molds can cause respiratory illnesses and allergic reactions.
5. Rodent and Insect Infestations
Wild animals, insects, and decaying animal carcasses can expose workers to biohazards and air quality risks. Rats, mice, and cockroaches pose bite risks and can spread hantavirus, leptospirosis, and plague. Other animals can spread rabies, toxoplasmosis, and psittacosis by leaving behind droppings and contaminating air ducts.
6. Hoarding and Squalor Conditions
In hoarding environments, the accumulation of trash and clutter and pest infestations can pose health risks and fire hazards that can endanger first responders and maintenance workers. Decomposing food, human waste, and mold can all spread diseases and endanger health.
7. Chemical and Tear Gas Contaminants
Many toxic chemicals are associated with producing drugs and drug busts, including hazardous materials and tear gas. These chemicals can irritate skin, lungs, eyes, and mucous membranes, causing both immediate and long-term health effects.
8. Infectious Disease Exposure
Infectious diseases can spread in situations where adequate hygiene measures aren't followed, such as homeless shelters, crime scenes, and neglected rental properties. Some of the most significant hazards are spread through skin contact and airborne droplets, including tuberculosis, COVID-19, and MRSA.
Effective biohazard training should be role-based and cover the types of exposures workers may experience while performing their jobs. Exposure to hazards like fentanyl or contaminated sharps is becoming increasingly common. Often, a property manager or maintenance worker walks into what seems like a routine turnover only to find themselves face-to-face with serious danger. These situations aren't rare anymore; they're becoming part of the job.
First responders have to administer medical treatment and personal care while avoiding biohazards. They need to be trained to:
Identify fentanyl and other drugs, potential bloodborne pathogens, and other contaminants at crime scenes and overdose locations.
Properly use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as N95 masks, nitrile gloves, and protective eyewear, to prevent exposure.
Administer naloxone (Narcan) to reverse overdoses.
Safely handle and dispose of contaminated materials.
Decontaminate vehicles, surfaces, uniforms, and equipment after use.
Property managers and maintenance staff usually arrive on the scene after any immediate medical emergency is over. However, in the process of remediating a scene, they may be exposed to additional hazards. They need to be trained to:
Recognize high-risk environments and warnings of drug use.
Follow PPE protocols before they inspect or clean units.
Dispose of hazardous waste properly to prevent further contamination.
Follow legal responsibilities and disclosure laws to protect tenant safety.
Implement appropriate emergency response measures in case of accidental exposure.
Mishandling biohazards poses financial and legal risks in addition to health risks. These expenses far exceed the costs of training and equipping and can include:
Lawsuits from tenants who rent contaminated units.
Fines and legal penalties for noncompliance with hazardous materials regulations.
Liability if employees are injured due to a lack of training.
Insurance claim denials for fentanyl-related contamination if remediation isn't properly documented.
As the fentanyl crisis expands, first responders and property managers are in danger of accidental exposure from their jobs. They need comprehensive biohazard training to avoid the negative health effects of fentanyl, infectious diseases, and other deadly contaminants.
Increases in accidental overdose deaths and child exposures mean that first responders and maintenance workers face increased risks when responding to and cleaning up after drug-related incidents. Being adequately trained and equipped is the only way to protect the health and safety of workers.
This story was produced by Trauma Services and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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Graphs that paint the picture of HIV in SA: Part 3
Graphs that paint the picture of HIV in SA: Part 3

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timean hour ago

  • News24

Graphs that paint the picture of HIV in SA: Part 3

Eight million people living with HIV. Just over 6 million on treatment. Behind these big numbers lurk a universe of fascinating epidemiological dynamics. In this special briefing, Spotlight editor Marcus Low unpacks what we know about the state of HIV in South Africa. This is part 3 of 3. In Part 1 of this Spotlight special briefing, we looked at some of the big picture dynamics of HIV in South Africa, and in Part 2, we considered some of the vulnerabilities of our HIV programme. Now, in Part 3, we zoom into some nuances relating to HIV prevention, the epidemic in different provinces, gender disparities, and HIV in kids – after which we conclude this special briefing with our take on where all this data suggests we should be focussing next in South Africa's HIV response. Prevention problems A landmark analysis published in 2022 found that the key reasons for the large decline in new infections in South Africa were antiretroviral treatment (since it makes people non-infectious) and the use of condoms. Voluntary medical male circumcision also contributed to reduced infections, more so for men, but also indirectly for women. To some extent, all of these interventions are threatened by the recent aid cuts. Even prior to the cuts there were concerns that both condom distribution and usage has declined. Incidentally, the provision of condoms is probably the area of HIV prevention that has been impacted least by the aid cuts. Last year, we reported extensively on injections that can provide HIV-negative people with six months of protection against HIV per shot. There are big unanswered questions about when these injections will become available and at what price, but experts have described it as a potential game-changer. In the meantime, daily antiretroviral tablets that prevent HIV infection have already been rolled out in the public healthcare system over the last five or so years. The numbers here are tricky to parse since many people start taking the pills and then stop. For example, while 501 000 women started taking the pills from mid-2023 to mid-2024, less than half that number were still taking the tablets in mid-2024 – keep this in mind when considering the above graph. Even so, there has clearly been a dramatic increase in women using HIV prevention pills in recent years. How provinces compare In South Africa, the health system, and most of the HIV programme for that matter, is run by provincial health departments. Apart from demographics differing massively between the country's nine provinces, the capabilities of their health departments also varies. It is thus no surprise that the HIV numbers look very different in different provinces. Part of the difference between provinces is determined by things health departments can do little about, for instance the Eastern Cape quite simply is a more rural province than Gauteng. On the other hand, some provincial departments have been chronically dysfunctional for decades which has no doubt impacted their HIV numbers. Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are comfortably the country's largest provinces by population, and it is thus no surprise that together they account for over 60% of all the country's HIV cases. But apart from their absolute numbers, they also have particularly high HIV prevalence – roughly 16% of people in KZN are living with HIV, compared to 7% in the Western Cape. In terms of treatment coverage, the three worst performing provinces are the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Limpopo – all at around 73%. At 74%, the Western Cape is not much better. KZN leads the pack with 84%. 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The reasons for this are not entirely clear but it is likely due to a combination of biology and social factors that determine who has sex with who. Given these numbers, one might expect that many more women would be dying of HIV-related causes than men, but that is not what is happening. In fact, in 2023/2024, 27 100 men died of HIV-related causes compared to 24 200 women. Men are thus less likely to contract HIV than women, but once they have the virus in their bodies, they are on average much more likely to die of it than women. The numbers suggest that this is at least in part because men are both less likely than women to get tested for HIV and to take treatment once diagnosed. The kids are not quite all right It may come as a surprise to some that, even in the mid-2020s, we still have around 7 000 new HIV-positive babies every year in South Africa. Things have improved massively since two decades ago when the number was more than 10 times higher, but it is worrying that we haven't been able to get it closer to zero. In fact, progress has slowed in recent years. The dynamics here are not obvious. Most pregnant women in South Africa attend antenatal visits where they are routinely offered HIV testing. If the mother tests positive, she is immediately put on antiretroviral treatment that can suppress the virus and protect both her and the baby. Because of such HIV testing in the antenatal period, we have seen dramatically fewer vertical (mother-to-child) transmissions at or during birth. Instead, an increasing proportion of vertical transmissions happen in cases where the mother only contracts HIV in the months after birth and then transmits the virus to her baby during breastfeeding, all before she herself has been diagnosed. 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Of course, for those people who are ill or struggling, there must be the option of much more regular visits. But for those who are stable on treatment and doing well, we should at most be asking them to visit the clinic once a year and pick up medicines somewhere convenient every six months. ALSO READ | Are children living with HIV being left behind? What the stats tell us South Africa has made tremendous progress against HIV. Yet, as we have shown in this Spotlight special briefing, there are gaps, most notably the fact that one in five people living with the virus are not on treatment. Getting that fifth person on to treatment, might require us doing things differently than before. Quite simply, we need to make it easier and more convenient for people to start and stay on treatment. We have already made several of the right moves. Condom distribution has mostly been a success, it is easy to get an HIV test, allowing nurses to get people started on treatment without the involvement of doctors has worked well, and giving people the option of collecting their ARVs at pick-up points such as private pharmacies has made many people's lives easier. ALSO READ | Francois Venter: Our HIV programme is collapsing and government is nowhere to be seen Though it's come a long way, the medicines distribution system still falls short of providing everyone with a convenient option for collecting their medicines near their home or workplace. Too often people still get only enough tablets for a month or two at a time. For those not keen on visiting clinics, getting an ARV prescription straight from a pharmacy is unfortunately not yet an option. Many people still feel disrespected by the health system meant to support them. Over the last two decades, we have rightfully been somewhat fixated with numbers like treatment coverage. One might argue that to scale up treatment as quickly as we did, we couldn't afford for care to be as personalised as we'd like. But with the world's largest treatment programme in place and a mature epidemic, the context has changed. It is clear where the remaining gaps are – closing those gaps will require that government gets serious about making the health system much, much more friendly to those it is meant to support. *You can find the complete version of this #InTheSpotlight special briefing as a single page on the Spotlight website. Note: All of the above graphs are based on outputs from version 4.8 of the Thembisa model published in March 2025. We thank the Thembisa team for sharing their outputs so freely. Graphs were produced by Spotlight using the R package ggplot2. You are free to reuse and republish the graphs. For ease of use, you can download them as a Microsoft PowerPoint slide deck. Technical note: The Thembisa model outputs include both stock and flow variables. This is why we have at some places written 2024 (for stock variables) and 2023/2024 (for flow variables). 2024 should be read as mid-2024. 2023/2024 should be read as the period from mid-2023 to mid-2024. Reviewed by Dr Leigh Johnson. Spotlight takes sole responsibility for any errors. Show Comments ()

Domino's Pizza, McDonald's rating surprise tied to persistent consumer issue
Domino's Pizza, McDonald's rating surprise tied to persistent consumer issue

Miami Herald

time10 hours ago

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Domino's Pizza, McDonald's rating surprise tied to persistent consumer issue

Even the Hamburglar didn't see this one coming. Excessive weight has been a persistent problem in America, where at least one in five adults in each U.S. state is living with obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter As obesity rates have risen, so have scientists' efforts to address this serious health issue, which can cause asthma, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers. Early attempts to treat obesity came to the market as early as the 1930s. Amphetamines were the prevalent treatment in the 1940s and 1950s and demand continued into the 1990s. Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, which mimic the action of the naturally occurring hormone GLP-1, have been available for about two decades. 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"Our findings highlight the potential for GLP-1 medications to significantly change food demand, a trend with increasingly important implications for the food industry as GLP-1 adoption continues to grow." The study warned that common side effects of GLP-1 medications, such as nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal discomfort, have reportedly led to reduced adherence or discontinued use for some patients. Related: McDonald's analyst grills new stock price target on McCrispy reaction "Moreover, their long-term efficacy and safety remain areas of ongoing investigation," the report said. Redburn Atlantic analyst Chris Luyckx focused on the growing adoption of GLP-1 in recent research reports. Luyckx double-downgraded McDonald's to sell from buy with a price target of $260, down from $319. The analyst expects the GLP-1 weight-loss drugs to suppress consumer appetites and says they present an underappreciated longer-term threat for McDonald's. A 1% drag on sales today "could easily build to 10% or more over time," particularly for restaurant brands skewed toward lower-income consumers, the analyst tells investors in a research note. McDonald's stock was down about 1.3% at last check and is up 18.5% from a year ago. Redburn Atlantic also initiated coverage of Domino's Pizza with a sell rating and $340 price target. Domino's, the world's largest pizza chain, faces the heaviest pressure from adoption of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, with high exposure to dinner occasions and lower-income consumers, the firm said. Redburn Atlantic said the company's organic traffic remains weak, with carry-out far outpacing delivery. Challenged system-sales growth and elevated consensus expectations present downside risk for Domino's, the firm said. McDonald's closed regular trading on June 10 down 1.4% at $300.43. Domino's shares were off 2.7% at $455.49. Related: Fund-management veteran skips emotion in investment strategy The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.

Former, current CDC employees call on RFK Jr. to resign
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time12 hours ago

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