What kind of precautions for influenza

Airborne transmission via small particle aerosols in the vicinity of the infectious individual may also occur; however, the relative contribution of the different modes of influenza transmission is unclear.

Airborne transmission over longer distances, such as from one patient room to another has not been documented and is thought not to occur. All respiratory secretions and bodily fluids, including diarrheal stools, of patients with influenza are considered to be potentially infectious; however, the risk may vary by strain. Detection of influenza virus in blood or stool in influenza infected patients is very uncommon.

Preventing transmission of influenza virus and other infectious agents within healthcare settings requires a multi-faceted approach. Spread of influenza virus can occur among patients, HCP, and visitors; in addition, HCP may acquire influenza from persons in their household or community. The core prevention strategies include:. Successful implementation of many, if not all, of these strategies is dependent on the presence of clear administrative policies and organizational leadership that promote and facilitate adherence to these recommendations among the various people within the healthcare setting, including patients, visitors, and HCP.

These administrative measures are included within each recommendation where appropriate. Furthermore, this guidance should be implemented in the context of a comprehensive infection prevention program to prevent transmission of all infectious agents among patients and HCP.

Annual vaccination is the most important measure to prevent seasonal influenza infection. Achieving high influenza vaccination rates of HCP and patients is a critical step in preventing healthcare transmission of influenza from HCP to patients and from patients to HCP. According to current national guidelines, unless contraindicated, vaccinate all people aged 6 months and older, including HCP, patients and residents of long-term care facilities [refs: Prevention and Control of Influenza with Vaccines and Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Resources for Health Professionals ].

Systematic strategies employed by some institutions to improve HCP vaccination rates have included providing incentives, providing vaccine at no cost to HCP, improving access e.

Many of these approaches have been shown to increase vaccination rates; tracking influenza vaccination coverage among HCP can be an important component of a systematic approach to protecting patients and HCP. Regardless of the strategy used, strong organizational leadership and an infrastructure for clear and timely communication and education, and for program implementation, have been common elements in successful programs. A range of administrative policies and practices can be used to minimize influenza exposures before arrival, upon arrival, and throughout the duration of the visit to the healthcare setting.

Measures include screening and triage of symptomatic patients and implementation of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette. Respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette are measures designed to minimize potential exposures of all respiratory pathogens, including influenza virus, in healthcare settings and should be adhered to by everyone — patients, visitors, and HCP — upon entry and continued for the entire duration of stay in healthcare settings.

HCP who develop acute respiratory symptoms without fever may still have influenza infection and should be:. During the care of any patient, all HCP in every healthcare setting should adhere to standard precautions, which are the foundation for preventing transmission of infectious agents in all healthcare settings. Standard precautions assume that every person is potentially infected or colonized with a pathogen that could be transmitted in the healthcare setting.

Elements of standard precautions that apply to patients with respiratory infections, including those caused by the influenza virus, are summarized below. For example, the effectiveness of hand-washing depends on HCW compliance and the availability of the necessary resources and time to do so properly. Similarly, as with any mathematical model, we were limited by our assumptions and the availability of data.

We assumed that prevaccination was completed with enough time for people to acquire immunity before entering the hospital, and that influenza resulted from a single-strain epidemic for which the vaccine provided a certain level of immunity—neither necessarily being always the case.

While we attempted to separate the effects of the individual strategies by using mathematical modeling, the presence of overlapping targets made this difficult. For example, although patient isolation protects HCWs, our model focused only on its potential effect in protecting other patients from direct exposure.

Finally, our analysis was limited by the lack of more accurate and precise data on influenza epidemiologic parameters in health-care settings. We often had to rely on parameters estimated under laboratory or household conditions that may differ significantly from the hospital setting.

Additional studies to collect data on epidemiologic parameters of influenza in hospitals are required to refine our results. In conclusion, our model supports using a multifaceted approach to control and prevent influenza in health-care settings. However, its effectiveness will be highly dependent on the level of compliance and the level of vaccine coverage among HCWs and hospital patients.

Future studies should examine effective and practical evaluation strategies for each individual phase of a multilevel approach, in order to guarantee better compliance and effectiveness.

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N Engl J Med. Van den Driessche P , Watmough J. To facilitate patient flow and optimise bed capacity, we regularly liaise with the bed management team, cleaning services and ward staff. All parties must stay up-to-date on the latest developments around flu and IPC advice. In addition, we use screen savers and e-bulletins to keep staff informed, while social media has been used to engage with both staff and public on key IPC messages.

Cheng VC et al Hand-touch contact assessment of high-touch and mutual-touch surfaces among healthcare workers, patients, and visitors. Journal of Hospital Infection ; 3, Coia JE et al Guidance on the use of respiratory and facial protection equipment.

Loveday HP et al epic3: national evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare-associated infections in NHS hospitals in England. London: PHE. Geneva: WHO. Sign in or Register a new account to join the discussion. You are here: Infection control. Prevention and control of influenza in an acute healthcare trust.

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