INFECTION CONTROL

Infection control prevents or stops the spread

of infections in healthcare settings.
 INFECTION CONTROL MEASURES
• Proper hand washing
• Respiratory hygiene, cough etiquettes
• Proper sterilization of instruments
• Safe injection practices
• Proper care of needles and sharps
• Isolation of communicable patients
• Proper disinfection of excreta and infected material,
environmental control and proper segregation of
waste
• Proper and regular surveillance
• Wearing gloves when handling infectious item
 NOTIFICATION
• Infectious diseases and other conditions of public health
concern still occur frequently throughout the world, so
constant vigilance is required to minimise their spread. 
• Notification is a vital step in efforts to prevent or control
the spread of infection and to prevent further harmful
exposures. 
• Notification is required by law and penalties exists for
failing to notify.
• The law exists to protect the public's health and safety
• Novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoC) has now been listed
as an urgent notifiable condition for both medical
practitioners and pathology services.
 
 ISOLATION

• Isolation refers to the precautions that are

taken in the hospital or some settings to
prevent the spread of an infectious agent from
an infected or colonized patient to susceptible
person
 PRINCIPLES OF ISOLATION TECHNIQUE
• The degree of isolation depends on the type of
disease
• The patient should be isolated as long as he/she
is a source of infection
• Persons attending the patient should be limited
to one or two and no visitors allowed.
• The room should have only essential furniture
that can be easily cleaned (damp dusting and
floor cleaning)
• Gown, apron and mask should be provided for
everyone entering the room.
• Hands should be washed with soap and water
after touching the patient. All articles should be
disinfected.
• Everything taken out of the room must be
disinfected. Dust, excreta and discharges, waste
food, soiled linen and utensils, must be disposed
off with care.
• For terminal disinfection, the patient is given a
bath and clean clothes and taken away from the
isolation room. Then the room and everything in
it is thoroughly disinfected
 CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION (CDC) ISOLATION
GUIDELINES
• Standard precautions apply to blood, blood products,
all body fluids , secretions, excretions (except sweat),
nonintact skin, and mucous membranes.
• Perform hand hygiene before, after and between
direct contact with patient.
• Perform hand hygiene after contact with blood, body
fluids, mucous membranes, nonintact skin,
secretions, excretions, or wound dressings, after
contact with inanimate surfaces or articles in patient
room and immediately after gloves are removed
• When hands are visibly soiled or contaminated
with blood or body fluids, wash them with either
antimicrobial or nonantimicrobial soap and water.
• When hands are visibly soiled or contaminated
with blood or body fluids, use alcohol based,
waterless antiseptic agent to perform hand
hygiene.
• Wash hands with antimicrobial soap and water if
contact with spores
• Do not wear artificial fingernails or extenders if
duties include direct contact with patients at high
risk for infection and associated adverse outcome
• Wear gloves when touching blood, body
fluids, secretions, excretions, nonintact skin,
mucous membranes, or contaminated items
or surfaces is likely. Remove gloves and
perform hand hygiene between patient care
encounters and when going from a
contaminated to a clean body site.
• Wear PPE when the anticipated patient
interaction indicates that contact with blood
or body fluids may occur.
• A private room is unnecessary unless the
patient’s hygiene is unacceptable
• Discard all contaminated sharp instruments and
needles in a puncture-resistant container. Health care
facilities must make available needleless devices. Any
needles should be disposed of uncapped, or a
mechanical safety device is activated for recapping.
• Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette : Have patients
cover the nose/mouth when coughing or sneezing;
use tissues to contain respiratory secretions and
dispose in nearest waste container; perform hand
hygiene after contacting respiratory secretions and
contaminated objects/materials; contain respiratory
secretions with procedure or surgical mask; spatial
separation of atleast 3 feet away from others if
coughing.
 QUARANTINE
• Quarantine means freedom of movement of
such well persons or domestic animals as
exposed to communicable disease for a period
of time not longer than the longest incubation
period of the disease.
• It is done to prevent effective contact with
those not exposed to disease.
 IMMUNIZATION

Immunization is a process whereby a

person is made immune or resistant
to an infectious disease, typically by
the administration of vaccines.