What is Infection & Infection Control/Prevention?
Infection prevention and control. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a scientific approach and practical solution designed to prevent harm caused by infection to patients and health workers. It is grounded in infectious diseases, epidemiology, social science and health system strengthening.
Why is Infection & Infection Control/Prevention Important?
Infection Control is so important because at the end of the day that person’s health is in your hands. You must wear correct equipment such as aprons and gloves, wash their hands before and after preparing meals or making a drink. Bacteria and germs can spread like wild fire from one person to another if they have an illness such as a cold. The purpose for putting polices and procedures in place for Infection Control is to ensure employees, clients and families are protected against infectious diseases and infections by providing guidelines for their investigation, control and prevention. To minimize the risk of infections to employees, clients, families and the community-at-large in accordance with government regulations.
Measures We Can Take For Infection Control & Prevention:
School days, school days. They shouldn’t all be cold and flu days! Frequent hand washing, proper vaccination, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces are important strategies to keep students and teachers healthy. Make sure every school year is productive and healthy by following some key infection prevention tips. According to the CDC, 40 percent of children aged 5-17 missed three or more school days in the past year because of illness or injury. Overall, nearly 22 million school days are lost each year due to colds alone, and 38 million school days are lost due as a result of the flu.
To stay healthy, teachers and administrators should:
Ask sick students and staff to stay home (and to seek medical attention when necessary).
Keep a supply of alcohol-based hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.
Teach good hand washing practices.
Clean and disinfect classroom materials and surfaces.
Provide reminders in daily announcements about preventing the spread of germs and illnesses.
Adopt healthy practices, such as safe handling of food and the use of standard precautions when handling body fluids and excretions.
Encourage students and staff to get an annual flu shot.
To stay healthy, parents should:
Keep your children home, if they are sick.
Send your child in with tissues and wipes for the classroom.
Teach your children to wash their hands.