Infection control practices and precautions for COVID-19

Infection control practices are not something that many people would have spared much thought for in past years. Not unless, of course, you worked in fields that demanded it, rather than everyday life. 

But as COVID-19 swept through hundreds of households across New Zealand in 2020 – and millions throughout the world – such terminology has entered the forefront of many people’s minds. How much do you know about infection control?

What Is an Infection?

When you read the definition of an infection, it sounds like the plot to a B grade movie. A foreign organism or pathogen enters your body. It uses it to sustain itself, reproduce more of the infection, and colonise.

That pathogen can present itself as bacteria, prions, a virus, or fungi. Whatever form it is, it adapts quickly to its new host and can multiply at a rapid rate. Except it’s not a movie plot, it’s real life. Infections can work quickly, cause significant harm, and then spread to others.

What are the Signs of an Infection?

There is no single way to detect an infection, for it can present itself in many ways. The organism responsible (virus, bacteria, fungi, or prions) and the infection site can both play a part in how it looks and acts. 

Viruses such as COVID-19, for example, targets specific cells such as the upper respiratory tract. A rabies virus, though, might present itself with an attack on your nervous system. If you’ve ever had a wart on your skin, then often, that’s a virus that has targeted your skin cells. Different viruses cause different reactions and signs. 

What is the Chain of Infection?

You might think that an infection is just one thing – a pathogen that has caused a reaction. However, it’s actually a chain of several things. This rings true when you see how the flu can move from one person to the next, or how a coronavirus strain manages to spread around the world. The chain of infection, if you were to view it as an actual chain, is made up of six links.

The Pathogen

The first link is the disease-causing pathogen itself, such as a virus or bacteria. This chain link is connected to the second – reservoir.

Reservoir

That is the environment in which the pathogen survives. Coronavirus, for example, requires a human or animal. Sometimes, viruses can also require water or soil. You can break the chain here through medical treatment, quarantine measures, and testing. 

Portal of Exit

The third link, the portal of exit, is what the pathogen needs to leave the reservoir. In the case of COVID-19, it makes its grand exit onto its next reservoir through droplets of saliva or nasal discharge. The link can be broken through the use of face masks, PPE, handwashing, and general hygiene practices.

Means of Transmission

The means of transmission link relates to how the pathogen is transmitted. In the case of COVID-19, transmission often occurs through close contact with the infected host. That may or may not involved physical contact.

Portal of Entry

Once the pathogen escapes its original reservoir and finds a means of transmission, it then must make its way into its new host through the fifth link of the chain: portal of entry. For COVID-19, this is through ingestion or inhalation. The severity of the infection can often depend on the intensity of the portal of entry.

New Host

The sixth and final chain is the new host. How the pathogen moves in its new host and how that host reacts can vary dramatically. As COVID-19 has shown us, some people can show no symptoms at all, while others require urgent hospital care.

How Do Infections Spread?

The easiest way to explain the spread of infection is with the direct transfer of the pathogen from one person to another. That can be through droplets, especially in the case of COVID-19, and sneezing, coughing, surfaces, touching and kissing. 

When Does Infection Control Come into the Picture?

It is never too early to bring in infection control practices. As any epidemic and pandemic throughout history have taught us, waiting is never the answer. Therefore, as soon as a potentially infectious disease is in the community, infection control practices should come into play. Many of these can snap the links of the chain of infection. 

Infection control can help with any country’s goal to flatten the curve. Flattening the curve relates to the healthcare system’s capacity concerning the number of cases. The more infection control practices you put in place (and the earlier you put them in place), the faster you can flatten the curve and provide an infection rate that a healthcare system can manage.

What Are Some Effective Infection Control Practices?

The best form of infection control is prevention. Wash your hands often, clean surface areas, and disinfect rooms. Refrain from sharing personal items, too, like toothbrushes, drinking glasses, and kitchen utensils.

However, when it comes to COVID-19, some more intense infection control practices have to be considered. It can often be worth calling for high-quality disinfecting services and chemical fogging from those who are trained and certified in that very line of work.

Trained infection control workers understand microbes and infections, infection control practices, how to maintain personal hygiene, and what it takes to limit contamination. They are also trained in cleaning environmental surfaces, handling and disposing of clinical waste, and maintaining and storing equipment appropriately to limit infection risks. 

Chemical fogging is a tried and true method for killing all but 0.0001 percent of bacteria, viruses, and bacteria. Infection control workers will wear high-end PPE, use a multi-chamber decontamination unit, and undertake all cleaning practices by New Zealand industry standards.

How Should People Respond to Outbreaks?

For the general public, responding to an outbreak requires you not to panic. Begin social distancing and follow your government’s protocols and rules for what to do next.

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) also follows a step-by-step guideline for investigating an outbreak. This can involve preparing for fieldwork, establishing the outbreak’s existence, verifying the diagnosis, recoding information, and developing a hypothesis.

Your job is to understand infection control practices so that, if infected, you can break the chain. Be strict with your family’s hygiene practices and don’t be complacent. Complacency can have some devastating consequences.