Open AccessRestraining SARS-CoV-2 in histopathology laboratory amid COVID-19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Efosa Bolaji Odigie,
Abdulganiy Abu-Ubaid Zakariyya,
Nosa Terry Omorodion,
Blessing Emosho Ogeyehme,
Theophilus Ogie Erameh,
Fatima Bashir Shema,
Dahiru Falalu Ibrahim,
Oladoyin Atanda,
Ajayi Oyedele Oyewumi,
David Temitope Noah,
Abdullahi Alhaji Mairiga,
Abdulaziz Tahir Idris,
Sharafudeen Dahiru Abubakar,
Zakariyya Muhammad Bello,
Halima Saliu Aliu
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of infection in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.322
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 2036-6590
pISSN - 1972-2680
DOI - 10.3855/jidc.13894
Subject(s) - pandemic , covid-19 , health care , medicine , personal protective equipment , medical emergency , social distance , virology , pathology , political science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , outbreak , law
Medical laboratory personnel encounter diverse health and workplace-related hazards leading to severe health challenges including the ravaging SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is the causal agent of COVID-19. It was first announced in Wuhan, China in December 2019 but started to spread globally by late January 2020. COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global spreading poses additional danger to healthcare personnel particularly the laboratorians. Other health practitioners may engage patients by observing social / physical distancing, but how laboratory staff observe or apply same rule to infectious samples remain a notable question. Activities of laboratorians result in repeated exposure at close interactions to patient’s samples including SARS-CoV-2 infected specimens, which make them susceptible to COVID-19. Therefore, it is imperative to review mitigating measures in restraining possible exposure and spreading of SARS-CoV-2 in the best interest of laboratory staff and pathologists. It is against this backdrop that this paper intends to update readers on measures to restrain SARS-CoV-2 invasion in histopathology laboratory and deduce precautionary measures for observation by healthcare providers in COVID-19 era. Also discussed, is health hazards associated with histopathology laboratory with the objective of encouraging safety consciousness and safe laboratory practices in the face of COVID-19 pandemic.