Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Practice Exam

True or False: The greatest occupational risk to health care workers is syphilis.

1. True

2. False

The correct answer is: False

The statement is false. While there are various occupational risks to health care workers, syphilis is not considered the greatest risk. Health care workers face a range of hazards, including exposure to infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and other bloodborne pathogens, as well as risks related to physical strain, stress, and injury from lifting and moving patients. In terms of infectious diseases, the focus is typically on those that have a higher prevalence or a greater likelihood of transmission in clinical settings. Syphilis, while an important public health concern, does not pose the same level of occupational exposure risk as these other diseases. Therefore, risk assessment in health care primarily emphasizes ongoing education and precautions related to the more common and readily transmissible pathogens within health care environments.