With Christmas holidays around the corner and almost
daily updates on new outbreaks associated with respiratory or gastro nasties, I
thought it prudent for the focus of this week’s blog to be on Holiday Infection
Prevention.
We are, without a doubt, well into cold and flu season
and while we bandy about the terms “cold” and ”flu”, there are certainly more
nasties out there than just the cold and flu. The following list is what Public
Health Units from across North America are currently seeing in terms of the
bugs implicated in some of the outbreaks so far.
Transmission via Direct Contact (when an infected person
sneezes mucus directly into the eyes, nose or mouth of another person),
Indirect Contact (Hand-to-eye; hand-to-nose; hand-to-mouth transmission from
contaminated surfaces or from direct personal contact i.e. shaking hands) and
Airborne (when someone inhales the aerosols produced by an infected person
coughing, sneezing or spitting);
Symptoms: Influenza is characterized by sudden onset of
high fever (38 C-39 C/100 -103 F), cough (typically dry), headache, muscle and
joint pain, severe malaise, sore throat and runny nose. Illness is self-limiting and most people
recover within a week. It can be indistinguishable from the common cold in the
early stages but the flu can be identified by the high fever and extreme
fatigue.
Transmission via Direct Contact (when an infected person
sneezes mucus directly into the eyes, nose or mouth of another person),
Indirect Contact (Hand-to-eye; hand-to-nose; hand-to-mouth transmission from
contaminated surfaces or from direct personal contact i.e. shaking hands) and
Airborne (when someone inhales the aerosols produced by an infected person
coughing, sneezing);
Symptoms: RSV manifests with the following symptoms:
cough (may be croup like or “seal bark” cough), shortness of breath, bluish
skin, difficulty breathing, wheezing, stuffy nose, fever, nasal flaring, and
rapid breathing.
Transmission via Direct Contact (when an infected person
sneezes mucus directly into the eyes, nose or mouth of another person),
Indirect Contact (Hand-to-eye; hand-to-nose; hand-to-mouth transmission from
contaminated surfaces or from direct personal contact i.e. shaking hands) and
Airborne (when someone inhales the aerosols produced by an infected person
coughing, sneezing or spitting);
Symptoms: Rhinovirus is characterized by rhinorrhea,
blocked nasal passages, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, croup in infants and
malaise. The symptoms experienced depend on the number of virus particles
replicated. Infected cells produce a molecule called histamine that results in
increased nasal secretions.
Transmission via Direct Contact (when an infected person
sneezes mucus directly into the eyes, nose or mouth of another person),
Indirect Contact (Hand-to-eye; hand-to-nose; hand-to-mouth transmission from
contaminated surfaces or from direct personal contact i.e. shaking hands) and
Airborne (when someone inhales the aerosols produced by an infected person
coughing, sneezing or spitting);
Symptoms: Parainfluenza causes sore throat, stuffy nose,
fever, croup, chest pain, cough, shortness of breath, stuffy nose and wheezing
Transmission is Airborne (when someone inhales the
aerosols produced by an infected person coughing, sneezing or spitting) can
also spread through Indirect Contact (fecal to oral route);
Symptoms: Most infections result in upper respiratory
tract infections. It can also manifest
as croup, conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, or ear infections. Adenovirus can also
cause gastroenteritis resulting in diarrhea.
Transmission via Direct Contact (caring for or coming in
close contact with infected person) and Indirect Contact (hand-to-mouth from
contaminated surfaces; eating or drinking contaminated food);
Symptoms: Norovirus causes nausea and vomiting, diarrhea,
stomach pain, body aches, fever and headache
Now that we know who we are trying to fight off, what can
we do to stay healthy? Proper hygiene
(cleaning and disinfecting hands and surfaces) and practicing social distancing
is the primary means to help stop the spread of the bugs we see during “Cold
& Flu Season”. Approximately 80% of
infections are transmitted by hands.
Frequent washing of hands with both soap and water or alcohol hand
sanitizers is the single most effective way of limiting the spread of the “Cold
& Flu Season” bugs. Hands should be
washed after blowing ones nose (and especially after blowing someone else’s
nose!) , after covering your mouth after coughing or sneezing, after using the
bathroom and most definitely prior to eating or drinking. Social distancing means reducing the
frequency, proximity, and duration of contact between people (i.e. employees,
customers and of course small children) to reduce the chances of spreading the
“Cold & Flu Season” bugs from person-to-person. While this is not always possible we can
take the opportunity to turn our heads and cover our mouth and nose with our
elbows when we cough and sneeze. Using
our elbows to cover our mouth and nose helps to keep our hands free of germs
which could spread disease.
“Cold & Flu
Season” bugs can also be spread by touching objects contaminated with the
nasties and then transferring the bug from the hands to the nose, mouth or
eyes. High touch hand contact surfaces
such as door knobs, light switches, telephones, keyboards etc should be cleaned
and disinfected frequently. During “Cold
& Flu Season” you can help stop the spread by cleaning and disinfecting
your work areas before going on breaks, lunch and prior to leaving at the end
of the day.
I hope these tips keep you healthy this holiday season!
Bugging Off!
Nicole
And yes, I am extremely happy with my amazing
alliteration abilities! (Ooops! I did it again! A)
