Guide to Infection Control For Long-Term Hygiene
Infection control is a scientific approach and practical solution to control and minimize the harm caused by avoidable infections caused by germs, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
Speaking of infection prevention and control, it utilizes various risk management techniques like hand washing and teaching children about hygiene, personal hygiene, etc., to reduce, prevent, or stop the risk of infection transmission.
Standard precautions are a set of practices required to achieve the most basic level of infection control. While essential, they are the first defense against bacterial and viral infections and diseases.
Although these practices are important for people of every age group, children must learn and abide by them rigorously, as they require extra protection these days.
This article will dive deep into how Infection prevention and control can be achieved through effective cleaning and disinfecting and how they are crucial for maintaining long-term hygiene.
Understanding the chain of infection
The spread of infection requires several interconnected steps determining how germs, bacteria, viruses, or a pathogen moves about in a “chain of infection” process.
Infection control and contact tracing serve the purpose of breaking this chain, resulting in the prevention of pathogens from spreading various diseases such as coronavirus, typhoid, cold, and flu.
The chain of infection can be described with the following six links:
1. Infectious agent (pathogen)
Infectious agents include germs, bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and microorganisms that cause disease or infection. The harmfulness of the infection depends on their numbers, potency, ability to enter and survive the body, and host susceptibility.
2. Reservoir (the normal location of the pathogen)
A reservoir is a place or source where the infectious agent thrives and grows. Reservoirs can take various forms, including people, insects, birds, soil, water, food, feces, intravenous fluid, and equipment.
Controlling and preventing infections often involves identifying and addressing these reservoirs to break the chain of infection and reduce transmission.
3. Portal of exit from the reservoir
The portal of exit refers to the place or route through which the infectious agent leaves the reservoir (the source of infection) and enters the external environment or another susceptible host.
This is an important part of the infection chain because it allows the pathogen, such as bacteria or viruses, to continue its transmission. Some of the most common examples of portal of exit include cough, sneezes, feces, vomit, open sores or wounds, urine, or genital secretions.
Understanding this component is crucial in realizing the importance of infection control and prevention, as it helps identify the transmission route and offers an opportunity to prevent it.
4. Mode of transmission
Mode of transmission refers to the method by which the infectious agents spread from one host to another, leading to the transmission of infectious diseases, such as diarrhea, MRSA, swine flu, etc.
Understanding the mode of transmission is important for preventing disease and infection control. There are several recognized modes of transmission, including:
- Direct Contact: Infectious agents are transmitted through physical contact between an infected person and a susceptible host.
- Indirect Contact: Infectious agents are transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, such as door handles, light switches, or electronic devices.
- Airborne Transmission: Infectious agents are inhaled by others as respiratory droplets or dust particles.
- Droplet Transmission: When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, respiratory droplets are projected to a nearby person, potentially transmitting the infection.
- Vector-Borne Transmission: Insects, such as mosquitoes, ticks, or fleas, transmit infectious agents from one host to another.
- Fecal-Oral Transmission: Infections are spread by ingesting water or food contaminated with fecal matter containing infectious agents.
5. Portal of entry into a host
As the name suggests, the portal of entry refers to the area, such as mucous membranes, non-intact skin, and the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts through which the infectious agent enters the body.
6. Susceptible host
The final link of the chain of infection is a susceptible host, an individual at risk of becoming infected with a specific pathogen if exposed to it.
Various factors contribute to the host's potential to contract infectious diseases, such as overall health, the functional state of the immune system, and any underlying conditions or weaknesses that may make them more vulnerable to infections.
Infection control guidelines
The best way to top the chain of infection is through good hygiene. Here are some of the most effective ways to do it:
Hand hygiene
Hand hygiene practices and guidelines, such as the right way to wash your hands, the dos and don’ts of hand washing steps, etc., are one of the primary measures for reducing the potentially harmful pathogens on the hands, ultimately lowering the risk of transmission of infections.
According to the World Health Organization, hand hygiene involves thoroughly cleansing your hands with Antibacterial Soap, Liquid Hand Wash, and water for at least 20 seconds.
Keep yourself and your loved ones healthy by following the steps for an effective hand-washing experience during these key times when you are most likely to get and spread infection:
- Before and after eating or preparing food items
- Before and after coming into contact with a sick person
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the toilet
- After sneezing or coughing
- After touching surfaces or objects used by multiple people
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
In most situations, washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to remove germs, bacteria, and viruses. If soap and water aren’t available, using a Hand Sanitizer or Antibacterial Multi-Use Wipes that removes 99.9% of germs is a viable option.
Cleaning and disinfection
Cleaning and disinfecting are two different methods of decontamination used widely to avoid spreading infectious diseases and infections.
Cleaning involves the removal of foreign material (e.g., soil, dirt, dust, debris, and organic material) from objects and surfaces through rubbing and scrubbing, normally accomplished using water with detergents.
Disinfection is a process that reduces the number of pathogens to a level at which they do not present a risk to anyone.
Both of these decontamination processes don’t necessarily have to be performed together. However, using a Multi-Surface Cleaner, you must clean the surfaces or objects first, removing the top layer of dirt and then disinfecting afterward, using Dettol Disinfectant Surface Spray and Dettol Antiseptic Liquid to remove the germs, bacteria, and viruses.
While cleaning or disinfecting, ensure not to miss out on the critical home, kitchen, and bathroom hygiene hotspots, which are likely to contain high levels of pathogens. Such places and objects include common areas, living rooms, waiting areas, door knobs, handles, remote controls, electronic devices, etc.
Additionally, sustaining long-term hygiene requires consistent and effective infection control measures, such as cleaning the grimiest places in your home and maintaining a constant cleaning frequency.
Respiratory hygiene and cough principles
Respiratory and cough hygiene principles are integral to infection control and are focused on limiting the transmission of respiratory pathogens spread through droplet or airborne routes.
These principles include:
- Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or the crevice of your elbow while coughing or sneezing to contain respiratory secretion droplets.
- Practice social distancing or avoid individuals showing symptoms of respiratory diseases. In the unavoidable event of coming into contact with someone sick, always wear a surgical mask.
- Wash hands with Antibacterial Soap, Liquid Hand Wash, and warm water after coughing, sneezing, using tissues, or contact with respiratory secretions or objects contaminated by these secretions.
- Dispose of used tissues and face masks promptly into a waste bin.
Additional tips for improving infection control
- Improving public health education and awareness: Create a strong link between health and education and promote public awareness about infection control, prevention, transmission, and the importance of personal hygiene practices such as hand washing, vaccination, etc.
- Strengthen healthcare infrastructure and accessibility: Improving the capacity and availability of affordable healthcare worldwide. This includes establishing hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities and ensuring an adequate supply of healthcare professionals, medications, and equipment. This will enable early detection, treatment, and containment of infectious diseases, enhancing infection control efforts globally.
- Implement stringent hygiene practices: Adopt and enforce strict hygiene practices to minimize the spread of infections. This includes deep cleaning and picking up daily cleaning habits for a spotless environment. In addition, it also involves educating the public about personal hygiene, such as hand washing and adhering to food hygiene rules.
FAQs
What are the four major methods of infection control?
The four major infection control methods in a healthcare and public health setting include hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting, respiratory hygiene, infection control standards, contact, droplet, and airborne precautions.
What are the four main types of infection?
The four main types of infections are viral, bacterial, parasitic, or fungal.
What are the five common ways germs spread?
The five common ways germs spread include
- Nose, mouth, or eyes to hands to others.
- Hands to food.
- Food to hands to food.
- Infection from child to hands to other children.
- Animals to people.