Infection Prevention and Control

1. Infection Prevention and Control What you can’t see can hurt you What you can’t see can hurt you

2. Microorganisms Are everywhere, estimated at 5 x 1030 worldwide Include: bacteria, virus, parasites, fungi Most are harmless Many are useful, used in baking and food-production, genetics, and molecular biology A few cause disease or infection 3 billion species of bacteria there are about 40 species that cause disease in humans

3. Everyone has “bugs” on them, all the time Some are normal, some are potentially harmful There will always be someone around who can get sick from bugs We can get sick or infected by bugs if they find a “portal of entry” Eyes, nose, mouth, breaks in the skin, etc.

4. reservoir agent susceptible host portal of exit portal of entry mode of transmission The Chain of Infection

5. Breaking the Chain Interrupting 1 or more links breaks the chain of transmission

6. Modes of Transmission Airborne Organism spread by aerosolization, very small particles < 5 µm Remain suspended in the air, spread by air currents and inhaled by host E.g. Tuberculosis, Measles, Varicella (chickenpox) Droplet Generated from respiratory tract by coughing, sneezing into the air, > 5 µm diameter Travel 1-2 meters and settle to the surfaces Can survive on environmental surfaces for some time Come in contact with mucous membrane of the host E.g. Cold, Mumps, Rubella, Pertussis (Whooping cough)

7. Contact Transmission Most frequent mode of transmission • Direct- person to person contact with physical transfer of microorganisms between infected and susceptible host • Indirect-contact between a susceptible host and a contaminated object - equipment, needles, dressings, and environmental surfaces • Examples of diseases spread by direct and/or indirect contact • Norovirus • Influenza • STI’s

8. Chain of Infection Break a link in the chain and prevent the spread Causativemicro-organism Reservoir Susceptible host Portal of Entry Portal of exit Mode oftransmission

9. Hand Hygiene is the Single Most Important Way to Prevent the Spread of Infections !

10. Hands: What’s on yours? • Resident germs • Transient germs

11. What you can’t seecan hurt you: • Harmful microorganism (germs) are microscopic and can’t be seen with the naked eye • if your hands look dirty you clean them • RIGHT?

12. Using Soap and Water • Wet your hands and apply soap • Rub your hands vigorously, making sure to clean around nails and backs of hands • Continue for 15 seconds • Rinse well and dry your hands • Turn off taps with paper towel if possible

13. Alcohol-based Hand Rubs • Convenient and portable • As effective as hand washing • Should use soap and water if hands are visibly soiled

14. Cough Etiquette

15. One millilitre of saliva can have 100,000,000 bacteria and viruses in it! • Every drop of respiratory secretions can have 10,000 bacteria in it • When you are ill- there will be even more “bugs” present in the respiratory secretions

16. Droplets travel 1-2 meter at approx 160kph (sneeze or cough)

17. Keep Personal Items Personal! • Please don’t share water bottles • Many diseases are spread from person to person through saliva • Colds, gastro, and other Keep your mouth guard in you own mouth • Don’t share spit

18. Group A Streptococcus • A bacteria often found in the throat and on the skin • It is the same bacteria that causes: • Strep throat • Scarlet fever • Impetigo • “Flesh eating disease” • Treated with antibiotics • Transmitted by contact with contaminated body fluids

19. WHAT’S OUT THERE? Common And Not so Common Illnesses

20. Common:Gastroenteritis • “stomach flu” – not influenza; NO protection from the influenza vaccine • Nausea & vomiting, cramps, diarrhea • Incubation period: 24 to 48 hours • Infectious: until 48 hours after diarrhea and/or vomiting stops • spread via hands • Fecal/oral route

21. Influenza (“flu”) A respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus Sudden onset fever, shakes and chills, headache, muscle aches, dry cough and sore throat, loss of appetite. Can spread quickly from person to person Incubation period: 1 to 3 days Infectious: 5 days

22. How is it spread? Coughs and Sneezes • virus are spread through droplets that come from the nose and mouth during coughing or sneezing • Infected people transfer the virus from their hands to other objects • Influenza viruses can live for several hours on hard surfaces such as doorknobs and light switches. • Practice good cough etiquette

23. Not so Common:RABIES

24. What is Rabies? • Rabies is caused by a virus that affects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) of warm-blooded mammals, including humans. • Once symptoms of rabies appear, it is almost always fatal • In Canada there have been 24 documented human rabies cases since 1924

25. Death Due To Rabies! • In April 2007 a patient in Alberta died after nine weeks in intensive care from rabies associated with Silver-haired bats *His family recalled that he was bitten by a bat 6 months before symptoms began

26. Lime Disease

27. No – LYME Disease:

28. What is Lyme Disease: • An infection caused by bacteria • Spread by from the bite of a black-legged tick (deer tick) which is found sporadically throughout the province • Most tick bites do not result in disease

29. How do ticks transmit it: - not all ticks carry Lyme disease - even with a bite from an infected tick there is only a small chance of getting Lyme disease - ticks feed on blood by inserting their mouth into the skin of host - they are slow feeders and have to be attached for >24 hrs. before the bacteria can get into your blood

30. Symptoms: • Usually occur within one to two weeks • Symptoms: rash (bulls-eye), fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, fatigue • See a doctor if having symptoms • A blood test will confirm if Lyme Disease • Treatment – antibiotics

31. How to avoid ticks: • When in tick habitat - wear long pants and long sleeved shirt - wear closed footwear and socks, tuck pants into socks (I know --- fashion mistake) - use tick repellant that has DEET - put a tick collar on your pet - at the end of the day check yourself for ticks. - pay close attention to area’s such as groin, scalp and armpits

32. If you find a tick:

33. Remove it promptly! • Carefully use tweezers. • Grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Pull it straight out, gently but firmly • Save the tick alive in a jar if you can and take it to your doctor or Public Health for testing • Disinfect the bite with rubbing alcohol

34. Thank you  • Questions? • What is the best way to prevent the spread of infections? • With what? • Rabies is caused by what kind of microorganism? • How about food poisoning? • When should I check my pet or myself for ticks and why? • Do you think infection control is interesting?