If a phlebotomist is performing venipuncture on a patient with varicella, what is the minimum precaution level required?

When performing venipuncture on a patient with varicella (commonly known as chickenpox), the appropriate precaution level to implement is airborne precautions. This is crucial because varicella is highly contagious and spreads through the air via respiratory droplets when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. It can also spread through direct contact with the skin lesions of an infected person.

Airborne precautions help prevent the transmission of infections that can remain suspended in the air and be inhaled by others in the vicinity. In a healthcare setting, this means that the phlebotomist should use specialized respiratory protection, such as a fitted N95 respirator or its equivalent, and ensure that the procedure is performed in a negative pressure room, if available, to minimize the risk to other patients and healthcare workers.

In contrast, the other options do not provide adequate protection against varicella due to its airborne nature. Standard precautions alone do not account for the heightened risk associated with airborne pathogens. Understanding the modes of transmission for various infectious diseases is critical for ensuring both patient and worker safety.