Infectious Diseases and Hygiene - Dr Nelson Herbert Australian South Asian Healthcare Association (ASHA) Maternal Health Education Program

Infectious Diseases Infectious Diseases are everywhere: Homes Schools Shops Buses Hospitals Many more…

Why are they important? Infections can spread easily between people, and those of us that are weaker can get more sick easily Infections can be passed from mother to baby even before they are born If a mother gets sick, this can effect the nutrition of their baby

Health Care Associated Infections Major problem for patient safety Must be the first priority for making healthcare safer Impacts: Longer hospital stays Long term disability Increased antibiotic resistance Increases costs of care Can increase the rate of deaths in hospital

Risks for acquiring an infection Multiple factors: The infectious agent (the bug/germ) E.g. virulence, survival and resistance The host (humans or animals) E.g. old age, low birth weight, other diseases, immunosuppressed, malnutrition The environment (hospital or other location) E.g. Intensive Care, longer hospital admission, procedures and internal devices, antimicrobials

How many infections? In developed countries (like Australia) Can affect 5-15% of hospitalised patients In developing countries (like Cambodia) Can be 15-20% of patients, but is hard to measure Poor access to radiology or pathology Poor medical record keeping Poor infection control measure

Developing country difficulties Low staff Poor hygiene and sanitation Lack or shortage of basic equipment Poor structures Overcrowding Difficult to gain financial resources All of these can increase the burden of infections

Health care workers at risk Health care workers are also at risk of infection They can spread infection amongst staff and patients Transmission can be from large droplets, direct contact with patients or infectious materials, and inadequate infection control

Health care infection control Proper hygiene for infection control The most common transmission is via health care workers hands Contamination of hands or gloves can happen by simply by touching intact skin Micro-organisms can also survive on bedding, curtains, gowns, bedside furniture and many more items

Hand hygiene is important Micro-organisms can survive on hands for between 2-60 minutes More and more bugs can accumulate without proper hand hygiene Without proper hand washings or cleaning, outbreaks of diseases can occur quickly Gloves are important, but need to be used properly to prevent transmission

Hand Hygiene is important Compliance with proper hand hygiene is variable between different countries There are many risk factors that decrease compliance with hand hygiene It is important to try and clean your hands as often as required Many strategies can be used to increase the use of good hand hygiene

The 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene Before touching a patient To protect from germs on your hands Before clean/aseptic procedure To protect from germs entering the patient’s body After body fluid exposure To protect you and the hospital from germs After touching a patient After touching patient surroundings

How can you help? Bugs can be spread from many different things You can be a great help in stopping bugs or germs spreading by doing simple things We can all stay healthy by working together

How can you help? Remember to always wash your hands: Before and after preparing food After using the toilet Before or after you touch people that are unwell After coughing or sneezing, if it involves your hands When you feel unwell and you are touching other people After touching things like bandages, or fluids from someone like blood or saliva, or dirty things

Hospitals Hospitals take care of unwell people Some of these people have bad bugs and germs It’s important those people can get better, and if you wash your hands you can help to reduce bugs around them

Things to remember Always cover your mouth if you sneeze or cough, and try to use the inside of your elbow rather than your hands If you are unwell, make sure you rest and don’t expose others to germs Washing your hands is an easy way to help stop bugs being spread Everyone can work together to stop bugs