The covid-19 pandemic has shown that we all have a role to play in preventing infections in our homes, schools, workplaces, markets and all other spaces we share with others in our communities.
Infection prevention is a practical and proactive approach to prevent harm caused by infection, and its spread, to others. Infections are caused when germs (bacteria, fungi, viruses, yeast or other microbes) invade the body and multiply. This results in ill health.
Here are 5 big takeaways from covid-19, to help you take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from infections.
Contagious Infections Easily Spread
Not all infections are contagious. But contagious infections are of concern in the community because they easily spread. Contagious diseases like covid-19, flu & cough, spread when we come into direct contact with infected people or when we come into contact with their bodily fluids or surfaces they have come into contact with.
When one person is infected with a contagious disease, unless proper infection prevention is practiced, there is a high risk of infecting many others.
You Can’t Always Tell A Person Has An Infection Just By Looking At Them
Yep. We’ve heard a lot about asymptomatic people during the pandemic. An asymptomatic person is someone who has an infection, but is not showing symptoms of the infection (yet, if ever at all). So, they don’t look sick, but are still carrying the infection and can make others sick. And that’s the concern. Because we are less likely to be cautious about infection prevention in the community around people who do not look sick.
This means it’s important to take precautions everywhere and with everyone, whether or not they look sick. You can’t be too careful.
Hand Hygiene Is Vital
Hand washing with soap under running water is important because it removes germs from the hands. Without realising it, most of us touch our eyes, nose, mouth and other parts of our body several times in a day. With unwashed hands, it is very easy to introduce germs to yourself, making you sick.
Where washing with soap under running water is not possible, applying a standard hand sanitizer works until you can get access to soap and water. Hand sanitizers don’t remove germs, but kill the microbial cells that cause infections.
Practising Good Infection Prevention Etiquette Reduces Spread
As humans, we all cough, sneeze, use the loo, and perform other activities which could potentially transmit infections. Practising good infection etiquette is a way we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from possible transmission.
Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, doing so in the bend of your elbow, properly disposing of tissues after you blow your nose, washing your hands after using the loo, and using appropriate personal protective equipments such as face masks and gloves where applicable, are all good practices to adopt in our daily lives.
Disinfection. Disinfection. Disinfection.
We can’t control everything in our environment. Especially in public spaces where several people have access to the same surfaces. But we can reduce our risk of picking up infections by disinfecting.
Disinfection is the process of cleaning inanimate objects with appropriate standard chemicals, in order to destroy microbes that can potentially cause infection. Doing this with our phones, keys, door knobs, work stations and other frequently touched surfaces, reduces the risk of picking up infections.