Diseases & Pathogens That Require Airborne Infection Isolation

The ATD standard (Title 8 CCR Section 5199, Appendix A) requires that employers implement airborne infection isolation for the following airborne infectious diseases (AirIDs):

• Aerosolizable spore-containing powders, such as anthrax and Bacillus anthracis
• Avian influenza and avian influenza A (strains capable of causing serious disease in humans)
• Varicella disease (chickenpox, shingles) and Varicella zoster and Herpes zoster viruses, disseminated disease in any patient; localized disease in immunocompromised patient until disseminated infection has been ruled out
• Measles (rubeola) and measles virus
• Monkeypox and monkeypox virus
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
• Smallpox (Variola virus)
• Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), also called TB, and
  • Extrapulmonary, draining lesion
  • Pulmonary or laryngeal disease, confirmed
  • Pulmonary or laryngeal disease, suspected
• Novel or unknown pathogens as defined by the standard
• Any other disease for which public health guidelines recommend airborne infection isolation

To learn more about Healthcare Respiratory Protection visit our Cal/OSHA Healthcare Respiratory Protection Safety Online Training web page.