Controlling Infection

Every year, many lives in the world suffer from 1. 7 million infections which lead to serious deaths (99,000). Infectious disease is caused by microscopic organism that passes into the body and create symptoms that can range from mild to deadly but, health care system is making their way towards controlling or preventing infection diseases. Controlling infection refers to action used to get rid of spreading infections in hospitals and health care facilities. The big idea behind controlling infection is to reduce the appearance of diseases which are caused by bacteria and viruses that spread by human contact with an infected surface.

Infection increased when spreading time in the hospital with patients, visiting appointment for ill and some cases, death might occur. One of the biggest causes of infection is weak immune system which caused diseases and can increase the risk of infection that’s why health care system and hospitals are trying their best to control infection by hand hygiene, types of isolation, and break the chain of infection. Many infectious diseases are transmitted by touch. Which is why hand hygiene plays very important role in reducing the spread of germs.

One of the simple and effective things we can do to prevent spreading of infectious illness is to wash your hands regular which helps reduce the buildup of germs on your hands. Hand washing cleaning of hands with use of water and amount of soap needed for proper hand wash for purpose of removing dirt. “In the United States, hand washing is mandatory in most health care settings and required by many different state and local regulation”, so washing hands before eating, after contaminated with blood or body fluids, after using restroom and wash all parts—finger, palms, between fingers, wrists, back of hands, fingertips thoroughly advantages anddisadvantages of complementary therapies in maintaining health and wellbeing.

The use of hand sanitizer and alcohol before and after contact with patients, touching equipments or furniture near the patients, contact with body fluids, wounds or broken skin. In addition, University of Westminster, London compared the bacteria present in paper towel and hand dryers and found paper towels reduced the amount of bacteria on hands than hand dryers. Paper towels decrease 24% and hand dryers increase 117% of germs and bacteria which says using paper towel is more beneficial.

“Some patients are known or suspected of carrying infectious diseases that are especially significant. ” Many patients were put in isolation to decrease the chance of spreading infection to other patients. Isolation precautions is used for safety methods to lessen the spread of germs or bacteria which is why there are four important precaution: Contact, Droplet, Airborne and Neutropenic. To begin with, contact precaution (CP) applies to diseases spread by direct contact with patients or contaminated items in the patients environment and to avoid CP, must wash hand regularly.

Also, diseases spreads by large droplets from coughing or sneezing is known as droplet precaution (DP) which required to wear a mask when entering in the room and dispose it before leaving the room. Airborne precaution (AP) is applies to tiny particles spread by talking or breathing. Last but not the least, neutropenic precaution (NP) applies to not bring stuff to hospital like fresh flower or food. Sometimes, a patient may be in two kinds of isolation at once when germs are spread by more than one route.

How likely a person is to get sick after being exposed to the germ? Where the germ normally lives? How the germ travels from the reservoir to a person? Anyone can get exposed to the germ by crowded living conditions, lack of cleanliness, frequent skin-to-skin contact, abraded skin, shared sports equipment, shared personal hygiene items, lack of health care access and overuse of antibiotics. On other hand, skin and nose is where germs lives.

They travel from hands to infection site and to fomites items (contaminated surfaces with body fluids). How to break the chain of infection from spreading? Well, put an end to sharing personal hygiene, avoid taking antibiotics unless doctor prescribing, manage a strong immune system by living healthy life, wash hand properly, keep nails short (acrylic nails should not be worn), avoid touching own nose, face, and keep skin infections covered with clean, dry bandages.

To summarize, “almost all colds and other upper respiratory infections (more than 90%) are caused by viruses--not bacteria. ” There are ways infections are spread by direct contact (touching an open wound with unwashed hands), indirect contact (contact with something that is contaminated) and carried through the air (sneezing or coughing). Therefore, kind of infection occur in the hospitals are urinary tract, wound infections after surgery, blood and respiratory.

Anyone can get an infection especially, weak immune systems, patients hospitalized for a long time, newborn babies, and people with diabetes. Controlling infection prevent spread of infection among patients, health care workers, and visitors which is why it is important to help patients stay healthy. I think keeping cleanliness is the key to control or prevent infection and proper hand wash (rubbing it for 10 to 50 sec).