A number of guidelines have been published for health care workers based in hospitals, laboratories, and clinics to help prevent transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV).1-4 The important position statement from the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee of the American Heart Association (AHA)5 in this issue of The Journal, however, specifically focuses on providers of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This group includes not only health care workers but also fire service personnel, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, law enforcement personnel, and laypersons. The AHA position statement supplements guidelines previously published by the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga,6 and the National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians.7
The position statement reveals that the AHA views the current epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as a public health problem rather than a political, ethical, or moral one. The sections entitled "Guidelines for Rescuers With Known or