To ensure that Laboratory & Hospital staff are not exposed to unnecessary risk, it is a requirement that all specimens from patients either known to be infected with or with a high degree of suspicion of being infected with any of the following infectious agents (see below) must be clearly marked as ‘High Risk’ or ‘Danger of Infection’ in all test requests with accompanying clinical details.
Please note this is not an exhaustive list – please see The Approved List of biological agents (HSE) for a comprehensive list of Hazard Group 3 & 4 organisms.
Please see High consequence infectious diseases (HCID) – GOV.UK – for a list of and guidance on HCIDs.
Please contact Microbiology if you need further guidance on labelling specimens as High Risk.
