Transcript Infection Prevention in the Classroom Setting

Infection Prevention in the
Classroom Setting
Texas Public Health Training Center
in partnership with the
USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness
Materials provided by the USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness at the Texas A&M Health Science Center
School of Rural Public Health supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number 5U90TP624250-04. Contents are
solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.
Welcome!
Germs can spread rapidly in a classroom setting, so staying informed
and active to protect yourself and students from infectious diseases is
essential. Increased awareness will minimize the risk of infection,
prevent disease transmission, and preserve a healthy and safe
classroom environment.
The Texas Public Health Training Center in partnership with the USA
Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness at Texas A&M Health
Science Center School of Rural Public Health designed this train-thetrainer activity for teachers and their students. It provides information,
ideas, and learning activities for the classroom to help keep children
healthy and prevent the spread of infection in the classroom setting.
What is an Infectious Disease?
 Infection
– An infection occurs when microorganisms, or germs, enter
and multiply in the body.
 Infectious Disease
– An infectious disease occurs when the infection damages the
body and produces signs and symptoms indicating the body is
unhealthy.
 Infectious Agent
– Infectious agents are microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi,
viruses, protozoa, and parasites that can cause infectious
disease.
www.mayoclinic.com/health/infectious-disease/ID0004
Infectious Disease Examples
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Common Cold
Influenza
Meningitis
Chickenpox
Staph / Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Tuberculosis
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Head lice
Ringworm
Salmonellosis
Chlamydia
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Hepatitis A, B, and C
www.go.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cdc/fs/infcontshelter.pdf
Influenza
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Seasonal Flu
- Respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses
- Annual outbreaks among humans
- Vaccination available
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H1N1 (Swine) Flu
- Contagious new influenza virus
- Vaccine will be available
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H5N1 (Bird) Flu
- Highly contagious, deadly infection occurs naturally among birds
- Presently, no sustained human-to-human transmission
- May evolve to infect and spread among human population
- No vaccine
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Pandemic Flu
- World-wide outbreak of any new strain of influenza virus
- Little or no human immunity
- No vaccine
www.flu.gov
How Are Infectious Diseases Spread?
Understanding how infectious diseases are spread is
important for minimizing the risk of infection and
preventing disease transmission.
Three ways in which infectious diseases can be
transmitted:
 Direct transmission
 Indirect transmission
 Airborne transmission
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm
Direct Transmission
Direct transmission occurs when an infectious agent is transferred directly
into the body such as through the eyes, nose, mouth, or through a break in
the skin such as a cut on the finger. Infectious agents are spread directly in
the following ways:
 Person-to-person
– through physical contact including touching, biting, hugging, or kissing
– Example: MRSA, Hepatitis
 Animal-to-person
– through physical contact, bites, and scratches
– Example: Ringworm, Rabies
 Infectious droplets
– during coughing, sneezing, talking, singing, and spitting
(spread is limited to approximately three feet)
– Example: Cold, Influenza
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm
Indirect Transmission
Infectious diseases are spread indirectly through vehicles and vectors.
 Vehicle-borne transmission
– Some infectious agents can linger on inanimate objects, such as desks, chairs,
computer keyboards, doorknobs, faucets, toys, eating utensils, or clothing.
– Example: Touching a pencil used by a person infected with the flu and then touching
the eyes, nose, or mouth before performing hand hygiene.
– Other vehicles include food, water, and biological products such as blood and body
fluids.
– Example: Eating peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella, or pepperoni
contaminated with E. coli.
 Vector-borne transmission
– Common vectors include insects, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and lice.
– Example: Becoming infected with West Nile Virus as a result of being bitten
by an infected mosquito, or sharing a comb with someone
who has head lice.
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm
Airborne Transmission
Airborne transmission is the spread of infectious agents
as aerosols that usually enter the respiratory tract.
Unlike the infectious droplets, these tiny particles have
the ability to remain suspended in the air for long
periods of time and travel long distances.
 Tuberculosis, chicken pox, and the measles are examples
of infectious diseases spread by airborne particles.
 Example: An individual becomes infected with Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) by inhaling infectious
airborne particles while on a crowded bus.
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm
Importance of Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene, including handwashing and the use of hand
sanitizer, is extremely important in preventing infectious disease
transmission in a classroom environment.
Many people tend to minimize the significance of hand hygiene,
often forgetting or eliminating hand washing due to busy
schedules, lack of available soap and water, and inconvenience,
but this is the single most important practice to prevent the
spread of infectious disease. It is also the best method to protect
children from infection in the classroom setting.
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands
Handwashing
Three necessary components of proper
handwashing include:
– Soap
– Clean water
– Friction
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/
Proper Handwashing Technique
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Wet hands with clean warm water.
Apply soap and rub hands together to create a lather.
Scrub all surfaces of the hands including the palms, back of
hands, wrists, between fingers, and under fingernails.
Continue washing hands for 20 seconds, about the time it
takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.
Rinse hands well to remove all soap.
Dry hands completely with a towel or air dryer.
If available, use a towel to turn off the faucet and open the
door to avoid recontamination.
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/
Easy to Miss Areas
Using proper technique is essential to sanitizing hands effectively.
Inadequate handwashing causes significant areas of the hands to
be missed. All areas of the fingers, hands, and wrists must be
covered during hand hygiene.
By imagining the rapid method generally used when washing
hands, it is easy to understand which places are most frequently
ignored. Insufficient handwashing often involves rubbing the
palms together with soap and water and possibly a quick swipe
across the back of each hand. This is clearly depicted in the
following diagram of frequently missed areas during
handwashing.
www.foodlink.org.uk/factfile_c.asp?file=2&chapter=2
Frequently Missed Areas
http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/social_services/general_information/partners/handwashing.htm
When to Wash Hands
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After blowing the nose, sneezing, or coughing
After going to the bathroom
After contact with blood or body fluids, such as saliva, nasal
secretions, urine, feces, or vomit
After PE or playing sports
After playing outside at recess
After handling garbage or waste
When hands appear soiled
Before preparing medicine or handling contact lenses
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/
When to Wash Hands (2)
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Before preparing, serving, or handling food
Before eating lunch or snacks
Frequently when sick or after contact with others who are sick
Before and after touching a cut or wound
Before and after touching the eyes, nose, or mouth
After handling animals, animal waste, or their belongings, such
as toys or a leash
After changing a diaper
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/
Waterless Alcohol-based
Hand Sanitizer
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When to Use
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Substitute when soap and water are not available.
Ineffective for cleaning hands that are visibly dirty.
Do not substitute when handling or preparing food.
Do not overuse; traditional handwashing is best.
Supervise children while they use hand sanitizer.
Two necessary components
– Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
– Friction
www.health.state.mn.us/handhygiene/clean.html
Proper Hand Sanitizer Technique
 Proper Technique
– Apply small amount of hand sanitizer to the palm.
– Rub hands together covering all surfaces, much like when washing
hands with soap and water.
– Rub until hand sanitizer is absorbed completely and hands
become dry.
www.health.state.mn.us/handhygiene/clean.html
Hand Washing & Absenteeism
Am J Infect Control 2002; 28: 340-6
“A study of 305 school children found that
those who washed their hands four times a
day had 24% fewer sick days due to
respiratory illness and 51% fewer sick days
due to upset stomach.”
www.cdc.gov
Classroom Hand Washing
Activity Ideas
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Practice washing hands properly with children. Have them sing
the “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” song twice to demonstrate 20 seconds.
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Ask children to draw pictures of when it is a good idea to wash
hands.
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Publish hand washing facts in bathroom stalls or school
newsletter.
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For younger kids, place posters in restrooms illustrating children
washing hands to encourage hand hygiene.
Other Learning Activities
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Use fluorescent hand lotion to test hand washing
effectiveness and to observe how germs spread between
hands, surfaces, pens, etc.
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Swab high-traffic surfaces and culture on agar in a Petri
dish or touch fingers to the agar and then incubate to
demonstrate the growth of microorganisms.
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Share infection prevention training with parents at parentteacher meetings to disseminate education to the home.
Hand Washing Song
ABCDEFG
Wash your hands to stay healthy.
Palms and backs and fingers, too.
Under nails germs hide from you.
Before you eat and after play,
Wash your hands throughout the day.
Fun Online Resources
The following are additional informative internet links providing more
resources to teach children about infection prevention, including online
games that students can explore in the classroom or at home.
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INFECTION DETECTION PROTECTION
Fun interactive online activities provided by the American Museum of
Natural History
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FIGHT BAC!
Animated bacteria fighting games
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CLEAN HANDS COALITION
List of handwashing resources for children and adults
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THE SCRUB CLUB
Animated website with activities, games, music, and tips for teaching
kids. Some materials also available in Spanish
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LATHER UP FOR GOOD HEALTH!
Internet, Classroom, and Home Activities by SOFTSOAP
Additional Activities & Materials
Please take a moment to explore the following online resources for helpful teaching
materials about infection prevention. Some of the links include a video, suggestions for
infection prevention related lesson plans, a classroom experiment, printable classroom
activity sheets, and other fun learning activities for children.
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VIDEO: 10 QUICK & QUIET STEPS TO HAND WASHING SUCCESS
A creative and fun instructional video developed by a school nurse and students. The
Real One player is needed to view the video. To install Real One Player click
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HANDWASHING PROJECT IDEAS
Multidisciplinary activities for teachers and students to promote handwashing
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HAND HYGIENE EXPERIMENT
Classroom science experiment to demonstrate persistence of bacteria and proper
handwashing technique
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TEACHING HAND HYGIENE
Materials, curricula, and ideas for teaching hand washing to all ages
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INFECTION PREVENTION WORD GAMES
Printable infection prevention word games
Clean Classroom Environment
Maintaining a clean classroom environment
reduces the presence of germs and the spread of
infectious diseases, and therefore, protects the
health of students, teachers, school staff, and
parents.
General Infection Prevention
Following general infection prevention measures and maintaining
personal hygiene reduces the spread of infectious diseases in a
school setting.
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Encourage children, teachers, and all school personnel to wash
hands frequently using soap and water for 15-20 seconds and to
assist children as needed.
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Substitute alcohol-based hand sanitizer when clean water and
soap are unavailable.
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Promote appropriate respiratory etiquette: Cover coughs and
sneezes with tissue. Throw away tissues immediately and use
hand hygiene. If a tissue is not available, sneeze or cough into the
elbow or upper sleeve.
General Infection Prevention (2)
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Teach children to properly dispose of used tissues.
Provide tissues and trash receptacles in classrooms and on school
buses.
Advise parents to keep sick children home from school.
Remain at home when ill and encourage others to do the same.
Avoid close contact (less than 3 feet of space) with those who are
sick.
Maintain and promote good personal hygiene; bathe and wash
hands regularly.
Discourage touching the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Maintain a clean classroom environment.
Ensure commonly used areas such as door handles, eating
surfaces, and desks are clean and disinfected.
General Infection Prevention (3)
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Keep open wounds clean and covered with a bandage until
healed.
Avoid contact with other people’s wounds and bandages.
Discourage sharing eating utensils, glassware, or personal items
such as toothbrushes, combs, razors, towels, clothing or other
items that come into contact with bare skin.
Clean shared sports equipment with antiseptic before each use or
use a cloth or a towel as a barrier between the skin and the
equipment.
Avoid skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has a Staph infection.
Encourage a healthy lifestyle that includes a nutritious diet and
adequate sleep.
Additional Considerations
The incorporation of animals into the classroom environment can
provide many beneficial learning experiences for children. It is
important to keep in mind the risks of Zoonotic Diseases, or
those that are transmissible from animals to humans.
The following considerations are important when dealing with animals in
a classroom:
– Always wash hands very thoroughly after touching animals or their
belongings
– Ensure animals have current vaccinations and receive annual veterinary
exams
– Bathe animals regularly
– Avoid contact with animal waste or food
– Only handle a new animal with permission and supervision
– Teach children the proper way to handle the animal
The End
This concludes the train-the-trainer activity, Infection
Prevention in the Classroom Setting. We hope you have
enjoyed this presentation and will utilize and share this
information with your schools to help keep children
healthy and prevent the spread of infection in the
classroom setting.
Questions?
Please direct any questions to the following:
Sherry Falgout, MPH
Manager, Public Health Practice Programs
Office of Special Programs
Texas A&M Health Science Center
School of Rural Public Health
(979) 845-2387
[email protected]