Infection Prevention

Question 1

Name an infection that spreads from a source to a human and can then propagate by inter human transmission.

Answer 1

Rabies

Question 2

What infection can you get from a source eye water supply but then can’t pass on?

Answer 2

Legionella pneumophillia

Question 3

Human to human spread is much more commonly talked about in this module, give a few examples of microbes that spread this way.

Answer 3

Norovirus
Influenza
Neisseria gonorrhoea

Question 4

What disease covered in the module requires a vector?

Answer 4

Malaria

Question 5

What terminology is given when diseases spread?

Answer 5

Endemic - normal back ground rate of a disease
Outbreak- tow or more cases linked in time or place
Epidemic- A rate of infection greater than the usual background rate.
Pandemic- High rate of infection spreading across regions countries and even continents.

Question 6

What is the basic reproduction number?

Answer 6

The average number of cases that is generated by a single case over the course of the infectious peruse in an otherwise non-infected not immune population.
Note if its more than 1 cases increase and less than 1 it will decrease.

Question 7

Why do we suddenly get epidemics or pandemics?

Answer 7

new pathogens
antigenic shift in existing pathogens
new virulence factors
increased antibiotics resistance

Question 8

Why do some population groups get more of a certain infection?

Answer 8

immunosupressed
HIV
Cancer

Question 9

Why does behaviour effect rate of infection spread?

Answer 9

Sexual activity

tattoos and peircings

Question 10

What factors effect whether an infection is transmitted?

Answer 10

The dose of the incoulum
The micro-organism (some need loads to actually cause an infection)
How its transmitted
The host

Question 11

How can we intervene to prevent infections spreading?

Answer 11

Hygeine
Vaccine
Stop infection development

Question 12

What patient factors can we help improve to prevent infection?

Answer 12

Improve general health - nutrition and medical treatments
Vaccinate
Passive immunity- maternal antibodies or IgG IV.

Question 13

How can we effect pathogens to stop infections?

Answer 13

reduce or eradicate it- antibacterials, decontamination, sterilisation

Question 14

What changes in population practice could help prevent infection spread

Answer 14

Behavioural changes - safe sex, sharp disposal and good food and drink prep
Geographical travel limitations
Protective equipment usage- long sleeves and trousers to hospital related PPE

Question 15

When considering changes to places in infection prevention what do we need to consider?

Answer 15

Engineering

Environmental- safe water, air, good quality housing and good healthcare facilities

Question 16

What is herd immunity?

Answer 16

If we have a large enough percentage of the population vaccinated then the small percentage that aren’t are indirectly protected by the people that are. (Note the percentage needed for any given microbe is function of the basic reproduction number.

Question 17

So preventing infection has obvious benefits in decreased incidence but what are the potentially harmful side effects?

Answer 17

Decreased exposure means lower immunity which means populations are more susceptible and thus outbreaks can happen more readily.
Developing certain infections at later ages carries higher risk.

Question 18

How are we monitoring infections?

Answer 18

Servileness of what is happening here and elsewhere to predict what may happen in the future.

Question 19

What helps us remember how to prevent infection?

Answer 19

The 4 Ps
Place
Patient 
Pathogen 
Practice