Personal Preparedness Pandemic Influenza Prevention of Disease Transmission

1. Personal Preparedness Pandemic Influenza Prevention of Disease Transmission Training for Canadian Red Cross Employees and Volunteers

2. Aim of the Session • The purpose of this training session is to educate Canadian Red Cross staff and volunteers on personal preparedness, pandemic influenza and prevention of disease transmission.

3. Learning Objectives After this session you will be able to: • List the 3 steps of emergency household preparedness • Identify key components of Pandemic Influenza Prevention and Preparedness • Identify the risk factors associated with disease transmission • Identify hazards and pathways for disease transmission in your environment • Identify precautions and actions which will help in the prevention of disease transmission

4. Emergencies • Not all emergencies happen suddenly.  A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease, such as a flu pandemic, may start slowly but could turn into a major emergency if it affects a large number of people. 

5. Personal Emergency Preparedness: 3 Steps Step 3: Prepare a kit Step 2: Make a plan Step 1: Know your risks

6. Emergency Preparedness: The First 72 Hours...and Beyond • Who is responsible for the safety of you and your family in a disaster? Individual Municipal Provincial Federal Its up to you!

7. Swiss Air Emergency PreparednessStep 1: Know your risks Ice Storm 1998 SARS Outbreak in Ontario 2003 Saguenay Floods Pine Lake, AB

8. Emergency PreparednessStep 1: Know Your Risks Check the risks and other hazards that would most likely affect your community: Checklist reproduced from: 72 hrs ... Is your family prepared?

9. Emergency PreparednessStep 2: Make a Plan • Establish meeting places ahead of time. • In and out of your community • Establish an evacuation plan. • Ensure your smoke detector is working. Change your battery at daylight savings time. • Ensure you have planned for children, disabled persons as well as the elderly. • Make a plan for pets and pet care. • Pets are not allowed in emergency shelters • Have a list of your emergency contacts and family phone numbers.

10. Step 3: Making Your KitEmergency and Evacuation Survival Kit Water and Food Supplies • 2-4 litres of water per person per day • Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables • Canned juices, milk, and soups • Can opener • High energy foods like peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars, dry fruit and nut mix • Vitamins • Special needs foods (i.e. diabetics, allergies, pet food) • Replace food and water every 6 months.

11. Step 3: Making your kitEmergency and Evacuation Survival Kit In the event of an emergency, you should be prepared to provide for your basic needs, including food and water, for a minimum of 3 days. If it appears that your community may be affected by a flu pandemic, you should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a slightly longer period – say 7 to 10 days.

12. Personal care items Documents (photocopies) Insurance Debit, credit cards Identification Cash Emergency contact information Water and non-perishable food Other personal needs First aid kit and medications Crank or battery operated radio and batteries Extra set of car and house keys Flashlight and batteries Warm blankets Safety candles, fire proof container, matches or lighter Emergency PreparednessAssembling Your Kits: Emergency Survival Kit

13. Emergency PreparednessSummary Checklists Know your local hazards Develop a plan based on your risks • For your family and household • For your children (school plan) Prepare your kits based on your risks

14. Pandemic Influenza

15. Emergency Preparedness Special Focus:What is the Flu (Influenza)? Public Health Agency of Canada: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/influenza/pandemic_e.html

16. Emergency Preparedness Special Focus:Transmission and Symptoms • Pandemic Influenza – severe respiratory illness caused by flu virus • Spread from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or through contact with unwashed hands and contaminated surfaces via airborne respiratory droplets • Symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches

17. Facts about Germs An infection is a disease caused by germs that invade your body. Germs can be contracted from people, objects, food, animals, or insects. Your body will react to the germs; it may or may not be able to fight off the infection caused by the germs. Infection may lead to disease. How do you recognize situations in which disease transmission might occur and protect yourself and others from infectious disease at home, at school, in the workplace and in other public and recreational settings?

18. Infection An infection is a condition caused by the invasion of germs in the body. For someone to get an infection or infectious disease, four things must happen: • Germs must be present in the environment • The germs must enter the body • Enough germs must be present to cause infection • The individual’s natural defences must be weak If any of these conditions is missing, infection cannot occur.

19. How is an Infection Spread? • Direct Contact • A disease is transmitted by direct contact when a person touches body fluids that contain a germ from an infected person Direct contact >

20. How is an Infection Spread? • Indirect Contact • Some diseases are transmitted by indirect contact with germs on an object that has been in contact with an infected person’s body fluids. Indirect contact >

21. How is an Infection Spread? • Airborne Transmission • An airborne disease is transmitted when someone breathes out germs and you breath them in. Germs are usually present in tiny droplets that an infected person coughs or sneezes from up to 3 feet from your face. Airborne transmission >

22. How is an Infection Spread? • Vector Transmission • Some disease can be transmitted if an animal, insect, or even a human bites or stings a person and transmits a pathogen into the person’s body. Vector transmission >

23. Preventing Diseases from Spreading • Personal precautions are actions that individuals or groups can take to reduce the risk of disease transmission • Includes activities such as hand- washing, educating others and safe close personal contact.

24. Preventing Diseases from Spreading • Equipment precautions involve items used to protect people from direct contact with contaminated objects • Includes barrier devices between you and object/person such as gloves, resuscitation devices and disposal containers

25. Preventing Diseases from Spreading • Environmental precautions involves the set-up of an area that reduces exposure and encourages proper use of personal and equipment precautions • Includes activities such as adding more equipment, and supplies in public places and, practising social distancing by avoiding crowds in the event of a pandemic flu.

26. Personal Precautions • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. • This is the single most important precaution you can take to prevent disease transmission. • Remember to use a barrier (e.g. paper towel) between the faucet and your clean hands if using public washrooms.

27. Personal Precautions: Handwashing • Always use warm running water and a mild soap. • Wet your hands and apply a small amount of soap (use liquid if possible), approximately the size of a dime or quarter. • Rub your hands together vigorously until you see a soapy lather. Make sure you scrub between your fingers, under your fingernails, and around the backs and palms of your hands.

28. Personal Precautions: Handwashing • Rinse your hands under warm running water. Leave the water running while you dry your hands. • Dry your hands with a clean, disposable towel. Be careful not to touch the faucet handles or the towel with your clean hands. • Turn the faucet off using the towel as a barrier between your hands and the faucet handle. Throw the used towel into a trash can that is lined with a plastic bag.

29. Equipment Precautions: Use of Gloves • The correct technique for removing gloves is to peel them off from the wrist, turning them inside out as they roll down the hand. To remove the second glove, grasp it at the inside of the wrist and peel it back from the inside, not touching the soiled surface. Ensure you dispose of your gloves correctly. • Description and illustration on next slide.

30. Equipment Precautions: Use of Gloves Step 1: Pinch the glove at the wrist, being careful to touch only the glove’s outside surface Step 2: Pull the glove down and off Step 3: Form the glove into a ball and hold it in the other hand. Insert thumb under the inside rim of glove, on palm side, push glove inside out and down onto fingers and over balled glove. Discard gloves appropriately.

31. Pandemic InfluenzaProtecting Myself and My Family • Wash your hands often, using plenty of soap and water. • Cover your mouth when you cough. • Use a tissue when you sneeze then dispose of it or –sneeze into your sleeve as this spreads less germs. • If you become sick, stay at home. • Talk to your health care provider about annual flu shots. • Use proper food handling techniques.

32. Pandemic Influenza:How is the Canadian Red Cross Preparing? • If you would like to know more about activities the Canadian Red Cross is undertaking to protect its employees and volunteers during a pandemic, please speak with your supervisor.

33. COMPLETE THE QUIZ • Please proceed to the following link to complete a short quiz on the information provided in this training module. Please ensure you click on the appropriate link for your designated Zone or Program. • Western Zone • http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=797032368924 • Ontario Zone • http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=48022368923 • Québec Zone • http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=408742368919 • Atlantic Zone • http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=149852367687 • National Office • http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=643762368937 • Community Health Services • http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=929242368927 • International Services • http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=765102368930