Infection Control Essays - Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases

Infection Control Part I: Infection Control Sara King Bryant Stratton College AHLT 230: Medical Laboratory Cheryl Nickerson FNP-BC May 23, 2013 In the medical field/profession it is important to maintain asepsis as it is critical to the health and safety for both patients and health-care professionals. Asepsis, a condition free from germs, infection and any form of life, (Davis, 2005, p.196). Using the proper aseptic precautions medical assistants can help prevent the spread of disease by causing a break in the infection cycle. Such proper precautions include the proper hand washing, utilizing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), and the use of techniques in disinfecting and sterilization. The most common use of asepsis would be the washing of hands that a medical assistant does on a regular basis in-between patients, will reduce the risk of a patient catching something such as a cold from a previous patient that was already seen. PPE include the use of latex gloves, gowns, eye goggles will help protect the MA from coming in contact with bodily fluids like urine and saliva that could have an infected bacteria. As we can see the infection cycle can-not be stopped permanently but it can be slowed down. This diagram shows six steps however the reading material assigned for the class has only five step. In order for an infection to occur there must be certain elements involved and all must be present for the cycle to work. There are five elements in the infection cycle: (1) reservoir host, (2) means of exit, (3) means of transmission, (4) means of entrance and (5) susceptible host, (Booth, Whicker, Wyman and Wright, 2011, p.670). The reservoir host can be classified as either an insect, animal or a human that is capable of getting a pathogen growth. A pathogen is what invades the reservoir host and is where the infection cycle begins. The next step of this awful cycle is when the infection has exited the carriers body. This can be passed by a number of ways such as the mouth, nose, eyes and ears as well as bodily fluid like blood or blood from open wounds. After the infection leaves the host by exiting it then has to find a way of transmission. When transmission occurs it can be done in two ways, direct or indirect from one host to another. Direct transmission happens when it im mediately leaves the main host by coming in contact with an infected person or by a discharge, such as saliva, from an infected person, (Booth, et al, 2011, p.670). Indirect transmission can only be done if the pathogens are able to leave on their own and then the pathogens can only survive if a new host encounters it. There are six ways of means for transmission: (1) airborne, (2) blood borne, (3) during a pregnancy, (4) foodborne, (5) vector-borne and (6) touching, (Booth et al, 2011, p.670-671). Once the pathogen finds a means of transmission it then has to find an entrance in-order to enter into the next host. The pathogen can actually enter the same way of the means of exiting. The last step of this cycle is that the pathogen found a new susceptible host where it may or may not keep the infection going for a repeat. There are five agents of infection that cause us to be sick: viruses, bacteria, fungi, prions and helminths. Viruses can be in many different forms, pathogens that live inside a cell, and once it has infected a host it can multiply. Example, chickenpox (varicella) with an incubation period of seven to twenty-one days as its very contagious. This viral infection in when the hosts body is covered in an itchy-red rash and the bumps the turn into fluid like blister that will break and scab over during the incubation time frame, (Booth et al, 2011, p.660). Not only do viruses infect cells, bacteria can make us just as sick when it hits various parts of the body by infecting the tissues in those areas. Illnesses are caused by bacteria infections but can be treated when given the correct antibiotics for that illness you may have. Diphtheria is one type of bacteria and it affects mainly the nose, throat and larynx. This