NFID is again partnering with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) as a supporter of International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). Held annually during the third week of October, IIPW aims to raise awareness about the role that infection prevention plays in improving patient safety. The 2016 theme is “Break the Chain of Infection.”
Healthcare professionals and consumers can ‘break the chain’ by practicing proper hand hygiene, staying current on all recommended vaccines (including annual flu vaccines), covering coughs and sneezes, staying home when sick, and using antibiotics wisely to prevent antibiotic resistance. Play your part during IIPW:
To join the conversation, follow NFID on Twitter (@nfidvaccines) using the hashtag #IIPW, like us on Facebook, join the NFID Linkedin Group, and subscribe to NFID Updates. Understanding how the infection is spread is essential to our efforts to prevent and contain its spread, especially when there is no definitive treatment available. Modes of TransmissionThere are three modes of transmission: contact, droplet, airborne. Contact Transmissionoccurs when there is
physical contact between an infected person/contaminated object and another person.
When an infected person coughs, droplets can land on objects and surfaces around them. When another person touches these surfaces, their hands can get contaminated with the virus. If they touch their nose or mouth with contaminated hands, they can get infected. It is therefore essential to make hand hygiene a priority and wash your hands regularly. Droplet Transmissionhappens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and tiny drops from the infected person enter another person’s eyes, nose and mouth. Airborne Transmissionoccurs when small particles in the air (<5um in size) containing the virus are inhaled into a person’s respiratory system (Pan et al., 2019). Although one study has reported that the virus can remain viable in the air for up to 3 hours (van Doremalen et al., 2020), more research is needed to confirm if airborne transmission occurs with COVID-19. Certain conditions must be met in order for a microbe or infectious disease to be spread from person to person. This process is known as the chain of infection (CDC, 2016) which is shown in Fig 1. There are six steps in the chain of infection and transmission will only take place if all six links are intact.
If any of the links are broken then the infection will not occur. Infection Control principles are aimed at breaking one or more links in this chain. Prevention StrategiesTo prevent and of viruses, WHO recommends employing basic hygiene principles through standard and transmission-based precaution. Standard precautions include:
precautions include: use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, aprons or gowns, eyewear, face shields and face masks. Hand Hygiene – 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene
Washing Hands with Soap and Water RegularlyHand washing thoroughly with soap and water is one of the best ways to prevent you or someone you know from getting infected. Washing your hands frequently helps to remove potentially harmful microorganisms from your hands which helps stop the spread of infection. The recommendations for washing your hands by following the 12 steps shown in the image below. Using Hand SanitiserWhen you don’t have access to soap and water, using hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol, such as PrimeOn Hand Sanitiser is a great way to ensure your hands are clean. Make sure to check the bottle’s label for the kill log rate to see how effective it is. When using hand sanitiser, make sure to follow the steps below:
Cough and Sneeze EtiquetteAs droplets from coughs and sneezes travel up to 2 metres, these simple steps can help to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Individuals with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practise cough etiquette by maintaining distance with others. Where possible, close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections should be avoided.
Routine Environmental CleaningTo break the chain and prevent infection, it is important to be more mindful about the surfaces we touch and to keep those surfaces clean. It is recommended to enhance the cleaning and disinfecting of a patient’s environment. Healthcare workers should wear gloves and PPE when in a patient’s surrounding and clean high-risk areas to prevent any potential spread of the infection.
Reference List: Pan, M., Lednicky, J. and Wu, C., 2019. Collection, particle sizing and detection of airborne viruses. Journal of Applied Microbiology, [online] 127(6), pp.1596-1611. Available at: <https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jam.14278> [Accessed 24 April 2020]. Shaban, R., Sotomayor-Castillo, C., Radford, K., Bell, S. and Malik, J., 2020. COVID-19 And Breaking The Chain Of Infection. [online] Hospitalhealth.com.au. Available at: <https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/clinical-services/article/covid-19-and-breaking-the-chain-of-infection-691528450#ixzz6K6ktlGun> [Accessed 21 April 2020] . van Doremalen, N., Bushmaker, T., Morris, D., Holbrook, M., Gamble, A., Williamson, B., Tamin, A., Harcourt, J., Thornburg, N., Gerber, S., Lloyd-Smith, J., de Wit, E. and Munster, V., 2020. Aerosol and surface stability of HCoV-19 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to SARS-CoV-1. MedRXiV, World Health Organization. Global Surveillance for human infection with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). World Health Organization, 2020. What are the 3 main elements of infection?Three things are necessary for an infection to occur: Source: Places where infectious agents (germs) live (e.g., sinks, surfaces, human skin) Susceptible Person with a way for germs to enter the body. Transmission: a way germs are moved to the susceptible person.
What are the elements of the chain of infection in order?The six links include: the infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. The way to stop germs from spreading is by interrupting this chain at any link.
What are the 4 types of infections?Infections are common. From ear infections and the flu to COVID-19, chances are we all have had at least one at some point. Viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections can all trigger sepsis.
What are the elements of infectious diseases?The triad consists of an agent (pathogen), a susceptible host, and an environment (physical, social, behavioral, cultural, political, and economic factors) that brings the agent and host together, causing infection and disease to occur in the host.
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