Facing Airborne Infections

Details

• Personal Author:
  D'Souza DJ ; Green-McKenzie J
• Description:
  Respirators are essential personal protective equipment for protection against some airborne biological hazards in health care settings, tuberculosis (TB), the virus causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza, and smallpox virus among them. Airborne droplet nuclei (small-particle residue 5 microns or less in size) generated from the respiratory tract while an infectious patient coughs or sneezes is a potential source of hospital infections because microorganisms carried in this way may remain suspended in the air for long periods of time and can disseminate over a wide area carried by air currents. These infectious agents are either directly inhaled or indirectly acquired through contaminated medical devices. In addition to respirator use, Airborne Precautions, designed to reduce the risk of airborne transmission of infectious agents, and Standard Precautions, designed to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms from both recognized and unrecognized sources of infection in hospitals, are also implemented. One of the main requirements of Airborne Precautions is placement of the infectious patient in a negative-pressure private room. Standard Precautions include strict hand washing; proper disposal of needles and other sharps; and the use of appropriate PPE, such as gloves, masks, and resuscitation barriers, when indicated. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Microbiology Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Hand Washing Health Care Workers Infection Prevention Infectious Diseases Medical Personnel Microorganisms Personal Protective Equipment PPE Respirators
• ISSN:
  0362-4064
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  75
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053518
• Citation:
  Occup Health Saf 2006 May; 75(5):92,94,96,103
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Performing Organization:
  University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational Health and Safety
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0170fb63f5ae2a2e2f98b9bb930cb9bd1080bd76aacaaf9a30ba85f0f407820e77712fc83792bb2136a34ed7c0dc1bfc63ee76f03a5ebf1e6670ec4b5d8c02c1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216254/cdc_216254_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.22 MB ]