Jeremy's thoughts on infection control

Notes on Ms. Reilly at the Children’s Hospital (Infection Control)

I. Introduction
1) Background
a. purpose- to reduce the risks of infections at the hospital
b. staff- 3 full time epidemiologists, 1 manager, and 1 physician

2) How infections occur
a. source
b. susceptible person
c. mode of transportation

II. Infection
A. Source
1. People
i. with active infections
ii. with chronic diseases (hepatitis C or HIV)
iii. with normal bacteria (normal flora)
2. Contaminated equipment 3. Animals and insects (Lime, West Nile)
B. Susceptible Person
1. Person with no immunity who is exposed
2. Person with a weak immune system
C. Modes of Transportation
1. Common Source
i. multiple people get sick from the same source
ii. ex. Manufacturing mistake, or tainted food at a party
2. Contact
i. direct- skin to skin contact
ii. indirect- contact with a contaminated object (an intermediate object)
a. ex. Doorknob
3. Droplet Transmission (respiratory)
i. Droplets generated by coughing, sneezing, talking, etc.
ii. Propelled less than three feet
iii. Deposited on a host’s eyes, nose, or mouth
4. Airborne
i. Same as Droplet
ii. Remain in air for more than three feet
iii. Inhaled by another person
5. Vector Born
III. Prevention
A. Wash Hands
B. Standard Precautions
1. Wear protection: gloves, gowns, masks, eye protection, etc.
C. Patient Placement and Isolation
1. Private rooms or grouped by bug
2. Follow standard precautions
3. Dedicate equipment to only one patient
4. ex. Tuberculosis- add ventilation to rooms
IV. Bacteria Resistance
A. Micro bacteria have a drive to survive
B. Bacteria evolve to make antibiotics less effective or useless
C. The Question: Will we keep going back and forth with new antibacterial medicine and bacteria evolving so we have to make new medicine so the bacteria evolve…or will science win in the end?
D. Why Bacteria are resistant
1. People use antibiotics improperly- By not completing a prescription, the bacteria adapt to the antibacterial drugs
2. Bacteria have genetic mutations
3. Resistant genes can be transmitted between bacteria without mutation (conjugation)
V. The Lab
A. Hospitals have extensive and high-tech labs which can test bacteria and viruses to find their makeup to figure out what antibacterial will kill them
B. Boston Children’s Hospital handles about 200 bacteria or virus samples a day- below their capacity



Jeremy’s Reaction after visiting Children’s Hospital

It appears that science is improving the quality of life at hospitals. Although hospitals add pollution to the atmosphere, cause congestion in the streets, use high amounts of electricity and water, and often infect healthy people, they save far more lives than they hurt. They save people’s lives who would otherwise die, and that is a huge positive for such a small price to pay. Technologies that go into hospitals and medicine are definitely saving us.
~Jeremy W