Posts Tagged ‘wash your hands’

AZ Child Dies from Flu

May 18th, 2012

Most people think that when the weather warms up, we can stop worrying about the flu.  But it’s still here.  Recently, a young Gila County child died from influenza.  It’s the only pediatric death from flu in Arizona this year, last year 5 children under 18 died.  Adult flu deaths are not tracked by the state.

This year’s flu season hit later and was lighter than last years. But it is still circulating so you need know what to do if you get the flu.  It’s much worse than a cold with a high fever, achiness, cough, and tiredness.  The main distinction from a cold is how fast you get sick.  A cold develops and the flu hits you quickly.

The best thing you can do about the flu is stay home if you’re feeling sick.  Be sure to cover your cough and wash your hands.

 

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Our Unwelcome Winter Visitor Returns

December 16th, 2011

Just in time for the holidays, we’re got our first lab confirmed case of influenza – actually two cases.  Influenza has probably been in the state for a while now, but we don’t officially start counting the cases until there is a case confirmed at our lab.  The vaccine was approved this summer and fights 3 different types of flu.  If you’re out holiday shopping, you might want to think about giving yourself a gift… a flu vaccine could help you have a flu-free holiday!  For information about where to find a flu shot, visit http://stopthespreadaz.org. 

Another key to prevent the spread of influenza and other diseases is washing your hands with soap – or if you can’t do that, use hand sanitizer.  Covering your cough and sneeze will also help keep germs from spreading.  When you are sick, stay home and keep your kids home from school when they are sick.  There’s more specific information for schools, parents and healthcare professionals on our flu website.

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Posted in Preparedness, Prevention

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New Infection Control Guidelines for Outpatient Medical Facilities

July 21st, 2011

CDC has developed new and easy-to-use resources for preventing infections in outpatient treatment facilities. The Infection Prevention Guide and Prevention Checklist is posted on the new CDC website for outpatient care facilities.

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5 “Winnable Public Health Battles” Infection Control

May 24th, 2010

I was in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago for new health officer orientation and was able to meet with Dr. Frieden (the new head of the CDC) a couple of times.  Each time that we met he referred to a general theme that the CDC will be using over the next 3 years to drive public health policy- it’s called Public Health’s “Winnable Battles”.  CDC will be increasingly  focusing its strategic planning on public health and policy interventions to help win the 5 “Winnable Battles”.  There’s not much on the CDC’s website yet on the new strategy- but moving forward you’re sure to hear about them.  I’ll introduce them to you this week:

1. Infection Control

This one is probably the most winnable “Winnable Battle” in the short run.  Healthcare-associated infections are  acquired when being treated for something else in a healthcare setting. They’re one of the top-10 leading causes of death in the US.  We’ve developed a Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) and Antibiotic Resistance resource page to help healthcare providers to develop and implement better plans to reduce healthcare associated infections.

Unlike the problems of teen pregnancy, smoking, and obesity- interventions to reduce healthcare acquired infections can have an impact even in the short run.  The CDC’s Infection Control website also has information to help providers do better in this area.

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Fighting Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)

March 31st, 2010

Some of the best infection control experts are laying out the plan on how to fight Healthcare-Associated Infections in the next decade.  The International Conference on HAIs just wrapped up in Atlanta – it marked the first time that four leading scientific organizations committed to infection prevention are working together to further a scientific and educational agenda toward elimination of HAIs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiologists of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) spent five days discussing various types of infections and how to curb them.  You can read  more about the conference online.

Some research shows there are some low-tech ways to cut down the possibility of HAIs – doing a quick nasal swab before surgery and using a different cleanser on the skin before surgery.  These simple steps and a long term plan can make a difference in protecting those in hospitals. You can help prevent these infections when you go to visit someone in a healthcare facility by using good personal hygiene, like washing your hands and covering your cough.

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