The Management of infection control & personal hygiene

Infection Control Good infection control & personal hygiene practices are important in ensuring a safe & healthy place to work. These high standards must be maintained consistently and especially where people are exposed to possible infections, substances or other conditions, which may be hazardous to their health. It is also essential that everyone in the workplace is familiar with and comply with the guidelines set down in their organisations policy statements. Everyone must also be familiar with the guidance provided by their organisation as minimum requirements. In some instances additional measures may be considered necessary to prevent or to check the spread of infection.

Infection Control Risk assessments must be carried out in order to assess the risk of infection. Sources of infection and those at risk need to be identified, the routes of transmission established and the appropriate control measures against transmission decided, recorded, implemented, monitored and reviewed periodically. All queries regarding the control of infectious diseases & related matters should be referred to the Local Community Health Services or the NHS Trust as well as the Environmental Health Department.

Infection Control Infection The process of infection is “ the process by which a disease is communicated from one person to another” When infection occurs there will be one of four things happen. 1. No apparent illness 2. Mild illness with ill defined signs and symptoms 3. A typical attack of the illness 4. A serious potentially fatal infection How a body responds to infection depends on different factors. 1. The virulence of the micro-organism 2. The dose 3. The site of the infection 4. The micro-organism’s ability to resist treatment 5. The person’s state of general health 6. The capabilities of the person’s immune system

Infection Control There is generally an interval between being exposed to a source of infection & developing the recognition features( signs & symptoms) This period of time is known as the incubation period and is very variable between different diseases and sometimes between different cases of the same disease. The common modes of transmission Airborne Route Droplets containing the micro-organism being sprayed from the nose, mouth and throat, by coughing, sneezing or spitting, spread diseases such as the Common Cold, Influenza, 7 pulmonary Tuberculosis etc… these droplets are then inhaled and cause infection. Contact Route This may cause an infection of the outer layers of the skin like scabies infestation and impetigo, or may penetrate either the intact skin as in Leptospirosis or through breaks in the skin as in the case of Tetanus.

Infection Control Inoculation Route Inoculation of an infection may be caused by An insect bite in the case of Malaria, A needle stick injury in the case of Hepatitis B, HIV. An animal bite in the case of Rat bite fever, or Human bite/scratch in the case of Hepatitis B or treatment with infected blood products. Intestinal Route Infections spread by this route are also known as the oral/faecal route, include Typhoid and Paratyphoid, Salmonellosis, Cholera and Dysentery. Micro-organisms present in the faeces are ingested either by direct transmission( contaminated fingers or objects) or by indirect transmission through food or water. Venereal Route Infections transmitted by sexual contact are Syphilis, Hepatitis B, HIV, Thrush and Genital Herpes.

Infection Control Some diseases spread by two or more alternative routes. Others by very complicated routes involving several animal hosts. Micro-organisms may be bacterium, rickettsia, virus, fungus, and protozoa ( e.g. amoebic dysentery). An infestation refers to the presence of parasites that lives on or in their host. Examples are- threadworms, tapeworms, fleas, lice, and mites, and can spread in a number of ways depending on the way of life of the organism. The eggs, cysts, or larvae of intestinal parasites are found in the faeces. Mice, rats, flies and cockroaches can spread eggs from faeces to food, while other sources of parasite eggs are the hands of infected persons that are not adequately washed after using the toilet or scratching the skin around the anus( where threadworm eggs can be present). Parasites, which live in the tissues or in the bloodstream usually, rely on biting insects, such as mosquitoes for transmission. This type of parasite is rare in this country but may be acquired whilst travelling to certain parts of the world.

Infection Control The Importance of Good Hygiene Practices All persons must maintain high standards of basic hygiene at all times. Even when no case of infectious disease or infestation exists. This is because certain illnesses do not produce recognition features ( signs & symptoms) for considerable periods of time and some infections can be passed on before the person becomes unwell and aware that they are infected. Carriers of certain diseases may harbour micro-organisms or be a source of infection and display no signs or symptoms of the disease. Basic hygiene includes thorough washing and drying of hands, after using the toilet, after sneezing or coughing, before handling food,( raw and cooked foods), before handling crockery, cutlery, glasses or anything that comes into contact with food, after handling animals, after cleaning or gardening, after handling refuse, before and after providing a first aid or medical treatment, and after dealing with blood or other bodily fluids, excretions or secretions.