Page 91 - GALENIKA MEDICAL JOURNAL

Abstract

Occupational diseases are specific disorders of physical, mental, or social behavior, and they are caused by different
hazards in the work environment or activities related to work and the workplace. The main condition for the legal
recognition of an occupational disease is the presence of a cause-effect relationship between long-term work conditions
and the occurrence of the disease, and also the presence of the disease on the List of Occupational Diseases.

Biological agents are recognized as the causative agents of certain diseases that can be recognized as occupational
diseases. Recognized occupational diseases caused by biological agents are tropical, imported diseases, viruses, bacteria,
parasites, antropozoonotic diseases, HBV, AIDS, and Tuberculosis.

In March 2019, the List of Occupational Diseases was innovated, and now it has 64 diseases instead of 56. After the
innovation of the List, the majority of the expert group thought it was still early to introduce an open list of occupational
diseases. However, with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it turned out to be good that the expert group left the
possibility for potential biological agents, such as COVID-19, to be recognized as occupational disease. Last than a year
after the pandemic spread worldwide, vaccines appeared. The question is: Should COVID-19 infection be recognized as an
occupational disease in those health workers who did not want to be vaccinated? Or, introduce mandatory vaccination of
health workers? On the other hand, there is a real chance that a lot of healthcare workers would seek compensation from
the employer from the state. In case COVID-19 is recognized as an occupational disease. All of the above are real reasons
for and against recognizing the COVID-19 infection as an occupational disease.

Keywords: COVID-19, occupational disease

Literatura 6. Occupational Disease-Temporal Trends in the Number and Severity
of Claims in Germany. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan
9;20(2):1182.
1. Council Directive 2010/32/EU. Official Journal of the Europien Union
2010;L134:66-72.
Konflikt interesa: Nema
2. Pravilnik o prethodnim i periodičnim lekarskim pregledima zaposlenih
na radnim mestima sa povećanim rizikom. „Sl. Glasnik RS” br. 120/2007 Primljeno: 29. 02. 2024.
3. Vidaković A, editor. Medicina rada I. Beograd: Udruženje za medicinu Prihvaćeno: 25. 03. 2024.
rada; 1997. Onlajn: 01. 06. 2024.
4. Pravilnik o utvrđivanju profesionalnih bolesti. „Sl. Glasnik RS”,
br.150/2003.
5. Carlsten C, Gulati M, Hines S, Rose C, Scott K, Tarlo SM, et al. COVID-19
as an occupational disease. Am J Ind Med. 2021 Apr;64(4):227-237.

REVIJALNI RADOVI Galenika Medical Journal, 2024; 3(10):86-89. 89