(soiled, contaminated), which means likely to have microorganisms,
some of which may be capable of causing infection
INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL
SURGICAL ASEPSIS
● Expected to be at the heart of good management and clinical
practice, ensuring effective protection of the public's health and
minimizing the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIS).
● Must be embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently
by everyone
● All staff, both clinical and non-clinical, must be able to demonstrate
good infection control and hygiene practices
● Staff must accept responsibility of their role ensuring good practices
are adhered to at all times
SEPSIS: is the condition in which acute organ dysfunction occurs
secondary to infection.
WHAT IS INFECTION?
● Growth of microorganisms in body tissues where they are not usually
found
● Called an infectious agent
● Invasion and multiplication of pathogens or microorganisms that
capable of causing disease that can lead to a local or system clinical
response
ASEPSIS
● is the freedom from disease-causing microorganisms. To decrease
the possibility of transferring microorganisms from one place to
another, aseptic technique is used. The two basic types of asepsis
are medical and surgical.
MEDICAL ASEPSIS
● Includes all practices intended to confine a specific microorganism to
a specific area, limiting the number, growth, and transmission of
microorganisms. In medical asepsis, objects are referred to as clean,
which means the absence of almost all microorganisms, or dirty
● Refers to those practices that keep an area or object free of all
microorganisms;
● it includes practices that destroy all microorganisms and spores
(microscopic dormant structuresformed by some pathogens that are
very hardy and often survive common cleaning techniques).
● Surgical asepsis is used for all procedures involving the sterile areas
of the body
TYPE OF MICROORGANISM THAT CAUSE INFECTIONS
1. VIRUSES
● Viruses consist primarily of nucleic acid and therefore must
enter living cells in order to reproduce.
Common virus families include the rhinovirus (causes the common
cold). hepatitis, herpes, and human Immunodeficiency virus
2. BACTERIA
● Are by far the most common infection-causing microorganisms.
Several hundred species can cause disease in humans and can live
and be transported through air, water, food, soil, body tissues and
fluids, and inanimate objects
3. FUNGI
● Include yeasts and molds. Candida albicans is a yeast considered to
be normal flora in the human vagina
4. PARASITE
● Live on other living organisms.
 ● They include protozoa such as the one that causes malaria, Human or animal body (host)
helminths (worms), and arthropods (mites, fleas, ticks). ● Indirect Transmission
○ Contaminated food or water
○ Infected soil
Infection Control in a Healthcare Facility Involves Preventing
Microorganisms from: ● Human Reservoir - many Infectious disease have human reservoirs.
Disease that are transmitted from person to person, without
1. Patient to Patient intermediaries include the sexually transmitted diseases, measles,
2. Patient to Staff mumps, streptococcal infection and many respiratory pathogens
3. Staff to Patient
4. Staff to Staff ● Incubatory Carriers - those who can transmit the agent during the
incubation period even before the clinical illness begins.

● Convalescent Carriers - those who have recovered from the illness

but remain capable of transmitting it to others.
NOSOCOMIAL AND HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS
● Asymptomatic/Passive/Healthy Carriers are those who never
● Originated in the hospital
experience symptoms despite being infected.
● Either develop during a clients stay in a facility or manifest after
discharge
● Chronic Carriers - those who continue to harbor a pathogen such as
● May also be acquired by personnel working in the facility and can
HepB or Salmonella Typhi.
cause significant illness and time lost from work.

● Animal reservoirs - humans are also susceptible to diseases that

have animal reservoirs. Many of these diseases are transmitted from
CHAIN OF INFECTION animal to animal, with humans as incidental hosts.

1. ETIOLOGIC AGENT ● Zoonosis - refers to an infectious disease that is transmissible under

● The extent to which any microorganism is capable of producing an
infectious process depends on the number of microorganisms
present, the virulence and potency of the microorganisms
(pathogenicity), the ability of the microorganisms to enter the body.
the susceptibility of the host, and the ability of the microorganisms to
live in the host's body
2. RESERVOIR
● The place for a pathogen (etiologic agent) to live and grow.
● Direct Transmission
natural conditions from vertebrate animals to humans,
● Long recognized zoonotic diseases include brucellosis (cows and
pigs), anthrax (sheep), plague (rodents). tularemia (rabbits), and
rabies (bats, raccoons, dogs and other mammals.)
● Environmental Reservoirs - Plants, soil, and water in the environment
are also reservoirs for some infectious agents.
Example: Outbreak of legionnaires disease are often traced to water
supplies in cooling towers and evaporative condensers, reservoirs for
the causative Legionella pneumonia.
3. PORTAL OF EXIT
● Before an infection can establish itself in a host, the microorganisms
must leave the reservoir
● The portal of exit usually corresponds to the site where the pathogen
is localized.
4. METHOD OF TRANSMISSION
● After a microorganism leaves its source or reservoir, it requires a
means of transmission to reach another person or host through a
receptive portal of entry
1. DIRECT TRANSMISSION -
→ involves immediate and direct transfer of microorganisms from
person to person through touching, biting, kissing, or sexual
intercourse.
→ DROPLET - Droplet spread is also a form of direct transmission
but can occur only if the source and the host are within 1 m (3 ft) of
each other. Sneezing, coughing, spitting, singing, or talking can
project droplet spray into the conjunctiva or onto the mucous
membranes of the eye, nose, or mouth of another person.
2. INDIRECT TRANSMISSION -
Indirect transmission may be either vehicle borne or vector borne:
→ VECTOR-BORNE TRANSMISSION - A vector is an animal or
flying or crawling insect that serves as an intermediate means of
transporting the infectious agent. Transmission may occur by
injecting salivary fluid during biting or by depositing feces or other
materials on the skin through the bite wound or a traumatized skin
area
→ VEHICLE BORNE TRANSMISSION- any substance that serves
as an intermediate means to transport and introduce an infectious
agent into a susceptible host through a suitable portal of entry
(fomites, water, blood, serum, plasma)
3. AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION - Airborne transmission may involve
droplets or dust.
→ DROPLET NUCLEI - the residue of evaporated droplets emitted
by an infected host such as someone with tuberculosis, can remain in
the air for long period
→ DUST PARTICLES - containing the infectious agent (e.g., C. difficile,
spores from the soil) can also become airborne. The material is transmitted
by air currents to a suitable portal of entry, usually the respiratory tract, of
another person.
5. PORTAL OF ENTRY
● Before a person can become infected, microorganisms must enter
the body. The skin is a barrier to infectious agents; however, any
break in the skin can readily serve as a portal of entry. Often,
microorganisms enter the body of the host by the same route they
used to leave the source.
6. SUSCEPTIBLE HOST
● A susceptible host is any person who is at risk for infection.
● A compromised host is a person at increased risk, an individual who
for one or more reasons is more likely than others to acquire an
infection.
● Impairment of the body's natural defenses and a number of other
factors can affect susceptibility to infection.
● Age
● Patient immune system → pt whose receiving immune suppression
treatment
INFECTION CONTROL SHOULD BE BASED ON
● Standard precaution - set of infection control practices used to
prevent transmission of diseases that can be acquired by contact
with blood, body fluids, non-intact skin and mucous membrane.
● Additional precaution - to address specific situations or conditions
that pose heightened risks of infection transmission. Standard
precautions are foundational measures aimed at preventing the
transmission of infectious agents in healthcare settings, but they may
not always be sufficient to address certain pathogens or modes of
transmission.
 ● These agents can be emitted not only during common activities like
talking, sneezing, and coughing but also during medical procedures
HAND HYGIENE
such as suctioning and bronchoscopy.
● Examples of diseases spread through respiratory droplets include
5 moments for hand hygiene Streptococcal pharyngitis (commonly known as strep throat), mumps,
1. Before touching the patient influenza, rubella, certain types of pneumonia, meningitis, and
2. Before clean or aseptic procedure sepsis.
3. After body fluid exposure risk
4. After touching the patient 3. CONTACT PRECAUTIONS
5. After touching patients surroundings ● The primary and most prevalent mode of transmission for nosocomial
infections, which are infections acquired in healthcare environments,
is through direct and indirect contact. Direct- contact transmission
ADDITIONAL (TRANSMISSION-BASED) PRECAUTIONS occurs when infectious microorganisms are transferred directly from
one person to another through physical touch, such as shaking
- Are taken while ensuring standard precautions are maintained
hands or touching contaminated surfaces.
● Indirect contact transmission involves the transfer of pathogens from
1. Airborne precaution
contaminated objects or surfaces to susceptible individuals.
2. Droplet precaution
● Nosocomial infections transmitted through direct and indirect contact
3. Contact precaution
include Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), impetigo, scabies, various
gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, as well as wound
1. AIRBORNE PRECAUTIONS
infections.
● Airborne transmission occurs when infectious agents, such as
bacteria or viruses, are carried by tiny droplets or dust particles in the
air.
● These particles can linger in the air for extended periods and may be BREAK THE CHAIN OF INFECTION
blown considerable distances by air currents. -
● Activities like talking, sneezing, coughing, and even whispering can 1. Kill the Pathogen
release these infectious particles into the air, posing a risk of 2. Prevent Contact
transmission to others nearby. 3. Prevent its escape
● Examples of diseases transmitted through airborne routes include 4. Prevent Transmission
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium causing tuberculosis, as 5. Block the ports
well as viruses like rubeola (measles) and varicella (chickenpox). 6. Resistant Host

2. DROPLET PRECAUTIONS
● Infectious agents can be propelled short distances through the air,
and when inhaled or deposited on the conjunctiva, nasal mucosa, or
mouth of a susceptible host, they can lead to infections.