Students should learn how to safely handle litter of other people. It is not wise to pick up body waste litter with bare hands. Used napkins, tissues, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, tampons, and band aids could carry contagious disease. Wearing gloves insures against needless contagion risk. The bleeding injury should be cleaned and bandaged and any bloody clothing removed and disposed of before the student returns to the play situation.
Many athletic conferences have specific rules regarding competition following a bleeding incident.
Teachers, coaches, and other educational personnel must model correct contagion prevention behavior at all times. Students will learn from what they see and experience daily. Essential contagion prevention habits should be taught, modeled, and practiced in the classroom, gymnasium, and school setting. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Human immunodeficiency virus and other blood-borne viral pathogens.