Bacteria deposited on a surface by one person touching it, or via contaminated
body fluids, can be picked up by subsequent users and spread to
other surfaces,
potentially causing thousands of infections worldwide.
VSPs are guidelines designed to minimize the risk of zoonotic infections from recognized and unrecognized sources and should be used whenever personnel may be exposed to
potentially infectious materials, including feces, blood,
body fluids, and exudates, or when skin is not intact.3 VSPs include strategies to reduce the potential for bites and
other traumas that may result in exposure to zoonotic pathogens.