What should be done if an AIDS patient's blood spills on the floor?

When dealing with a blood spill from an AIDS patient, it is crucial to take appropriate infection control measures. The correct approach is to clean the spill with a bleach solution, as bleach is a potent disinfectant that effectively kills the HIV virus along with other pathogens. This step is essential to ensure the area is sanitized and to prevent any potential transmission of infectious diseases.

Using a bleach solution not only neutralizes the virus but also addresses any contamination concerns in the environment where the blood was spilled. It's also important to use personal protective equipment, such as gloves, when handling such spills to ensure the safety of the person cleaning the spill and to further minimize the risk of infection.

In contrast, simply rubbing the spill with a paper towel would not adequately disinfect the area and would only serve to spread the potential contamination. Covering it with a cloth would similarly be ineffective in terms of sanitization. Reporting the spill to a nurse is important for notifying staff, but immediate action to clean it properly is essential for infection control. Hence, using a bleach solution is the best practice in this scenario.