Infection Control
How Swine flu infection be controlled at home and public places?
Infection Control at home
Infection control for non-hospitalized patient
1. Separation from others in single room if available.
2. The ill person should wear a mask.
3.The ill person should be encouraged to wash hand frequently and follow respiratory hygiene practices.
4. Utensils used by the ill person should be thoroughly washed with soap and water before use by other persons.
Infection Control at public places
1. Cover you mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
2. Throwing used tissues and towels into the garbage or laundry
3. Staying home if you are unfortunate to contract the Swine Flu Virus
4. Public areas need to be kept cleaned and virus free because these are the places that the public spends most of their day. Children are at school.
Steps to Lessen the Spread of Flu in the Home ?
When providing care to a household member who is sick with influenza, the most important ways to protect yourself and others who are not sick are to:
1. Keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible make them place in a seperate room.
2. Remind the sick person to cover their coughs, and clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often, especially after coughing and/or sneezing.
3. Everyone in the household should clean their hands often,using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub
4. Ask your healthcare provider if household contacts of the sick person, particularly those contacts that may have chronic health conditions, should take antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) or zanamivir (Relenza®) to prevent the flu.
Placement of the sick person
a. Keep the sick person in a room separate from the common areas of the house. (For example, a spare bedroom with its own bathroom, if that’s possible.) Keep the sickroom door closed.
b. Unless necessary for medical care, persons with the flu should not leave the home when they have a fever or during the time that they are most likely to spread their infection to others (7 days after onset of symptoms in adults, and 10 days after onset of symptoms in children).
c. If persons with the flu need to leave the home (for example, for medical care), they should cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and wear a loose-fitting (surgical) mask if available.
d. Have the sick person wear a surgical mask if they need to be in a common area of the house near other persons.
e. If possible, sick persons should use a separate bathroom. This bathroom should be cleaned daily with household disinfectant.
Protect other persons in the home
a. The sick person should not have visitors other than caregivers. A phone call is safer than a visit.
b. If possible, have only one adult in the home take care of the sick person.
c. Avoid having pregnant women care for the sick person. (Pregnant women are at increased risk of influenza-related complications and immunity can be suppressed during pregnancy).
d. All persons in the household should clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub frequently, including after every contact with the sick person or the person’s room or bathroom.
e. Use paper towels for drying hands after hand washing or dedicate cloth towels to each person in the household. For example, have different colored towels for each person.
f. If possible, consideration should be given to maintaining good ventilation in shared household areas (e.g., keeping windows open in restrooms, kitchen, bathroom, etc.).
g. Antivirals can be used to prevent the flu, so check with your healthcare provider to see if some persons in the home should use antiviral medications.