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otherInfectious diseases are transmitted from person to person by direct or indirect contact.
Certain types of viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi can all cause infectious diseases. Malaria, measles, and respiratory illnesses are examples of infectious diseases.
Simple preventive measures, such as frequent handwashing, can cut down on disease transmission.
Infectious diseases are often spread through direct contact. Types of direct contact include the following.
1. Person-to-person contact
Infectious diseases are commonly transmitted through direct person-to-person contact. Transmission occurs when a person with an infectious disease touches or exchanges body fluids with someone else. This can happen before they are aware of the illness. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and gastrointestinal infections can be transmitted this way.
Pregnant people can also transmit infectious diseases to their unborn fetuses via the placenta. Some STDs, including gonorrhea, can be passed from gestational parent to baby during childbirth.
2. Droplet spread
The spray of droplets during coughing and sneezing can spread an infectious disease. You can even infect another person through droplets created when you speak. Since droplets fall to the ground within a few feet, this type of transmission requires close proximity.
Infectious diseases can also be spread indirectly through the air and other mechanisms. For example:
1. Airborne transmission
Some infectious agents can travel long distances and remain suspended in the air for an extended period of time. You can catch a disease like measles by entering a room after someone with measles has departed.
2. Contaminated objects
Some organisms can live on objects for a short time. If you touch an object, such as a doorknob, soon after a person with an infectious disease, you might be exposed to infection. Transmission occurs when you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes before thoroughly washing your hands.
Germs can also be spread through blood products and medical supplies containing the virus or bacteria.
3. Food and drinking water
Infectious diseases can be transmitted via food and water containing the virus or bacteria.E. coli is often transmitted through improperly handled produce or undercooked meat. Improperly canned foods can create an environment ripe for Clostridium botulinum, which can lead to botulism.
4. Animal-to-person contact
Some infectious diseases can be transmitted from an animal to a person. This can happen when an animal with an infection bites or scratches you, or when you handle animal waste. The Toxoplasma gondii parasite can be found in cat feces.
Pregnant people and people with compromised immune systems should take extra care (disposable gloves and good handwashing) when changing cat litter, or avoid it altogether.
5. Animal reservoirs
Animal-to-animal disease transmission can sometimes transfer to humans. Zoonosis occurs when diseases are transferred from animals to people. Zoonotic diseases include:
6. Insect bites (vector-borne disease)
Some zoonotic infectious agents are transmitted by insects, especially those that suck blood. These include mosquitos, fleas, and ticks.
The insects become infected when they feed on infected hosts, such as birds, animals, and humans. The disease is then transmitted when the insect bites a new host.
Malaria, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease are all spread this way.
7. Environmental reservoirs
Soil, water, and vegetation containing infectious organisms can also be transferred to people.
Hookworm, for example, is transmitted through infected soil. Legionnaires’ disease is an example of a disease that can be spread by water that supplies cooling towers and evaporative condensers.
Because infectious diseases can spread through direct or indirect contact, everyone is at risk of illness. You have a higher risk of becoming ill when you’re around sick people or in areas susceptible to germs.
If you work in or visit a care center, day care center, hospital, or doctor’s office, take extra precautions to protect yourself.
1. Illness
Something as simple as touching a doorknob, elevator button, light switch, or another person’s hand increases the likelihood of coming in contact with germs that can make you sick. The good news is that a few simple precautions can prevent some disease transmission.
Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly: Use soap and warm water and vigorously rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds. If you can’t wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Washing your hands is the gold standard though!
Other tips to prevent the spread of disease in areas with germs include:
- wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before handling food and after shaking hands
- always wash with soap and water if your hands are visibly soiled
- try to minimize touching your mouth or nose with your hands
- avoid sick people, if possible
- wear disposable gloves to avoid contact with blood and feces
- use disposable gloves when caring for an ill person
- cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough and wash your hands afterward
- teach children not to put their hands or objects in their mouths
- sanitize toys and changing tables
2. Foodborne illness
Dangerous organisms can thrive in improperly prepared food. Avoid cross-contamination by keeping raw meats and produce separate. Use different preparation surfaces for raw meats and wash surfaces and utensils thoroughly.
Freeze or refrigerate perishable foods and leftovers promptly. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, you should set your refrigerator to 40°F (4°C) or below and your freezer to 0°F (-18°C) or below. Cook meats to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). Cook ground meats to 160°F (71°C) and poultry to 165°F (73°C).
Before traveling, consider researching any foodborne illnesses that may be common in the area you’re visiting. It may be helpful to avoid tap water, if possible, and to order meat well-done.
3. Insects and animals
When camping or enjoying wooded areas, wear long pants and long sleeves. Use insect repellent and mosquito netting. Don’t touch animals in the wild. Don’t touch sick or dead animals.
After a trek outside in a wooded area, check yourself for ticks. If you find one, remove it using clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible and pull it straight up.
4. Vaccinations
Stay up to date on vaccinations, especially when traveling. Don’t forget to keep your pet’s vaccinations current, too.
Vaccinations can drastically reduce your risk of becoming ill with some infectious diseases. If you can avoid a particular disease, you can also prevent the spread of the disease. There are different types of vaccinations, such as those to prevent:
- measles
- mumps
- influenza
- human papillomavirus
Speak with your doctor to discuss the benefits and risks of these and other vaccinations.
Infectious diseases are caused by types of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi around us. It’s important to understand how these diseases are transmitted. If you understand the transmission process, you can use this knowledge to protect yourself and help prevent the spread of illnesses.
Germs are a part of everyday life and are found in our air, soil, water, and in and on our bodies. Some germs are helpful, others are harmful. Many germs live in and on our bodies without causing harm and some even help us to stay healthy. Only a small portion of germs are known to cause infection.
An infection occurs when germs enter the body, increase in number, and cause a reaction of the body.
Three things are necessary for an infection to occur:
- Source: Places where infectious agents (germs) live (e.g., sinks, surfaces, human skin)
- Susceptible Person with a way for germs to enter the body
- Transmission: a way germs are moved to the susceptible person
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A Source is an infectious agent or germ and refers to a virus, bacteria, or other microbe.
In healthcare settings, germs are found in many places. People are one source of germs including:
- Patients
- Healthcare workers
- Visitors and household members
People can be sick with symptoms of an infection or colonized with germs (not have symptoms of an infection but able to pass the germs to others).
Germs are also found in the healthcare environment. Examples of environmental sources of germs include:
- Dry surfaces in patient care areas (e.g., bed rails, medical equipment, countertops, and tables)
- Wet surfaces, moist environments, and biofilms (e.g., cooling towers, faucets and sinks, and equipment such as ventilators)
- Indwelling medical devices (e.g., catheters and IV lines)
- Dust or decaying debris (e.g., construction dust or wet materials from water leaks)
A susceptible person is someone who is not vaccinated or otherwise immune, or a person with a weakened immune system who has a way for the germs to enter the body. For an infection to occur, germs must enter a susceptible person’s body and invade tissues, multiply, and cause a reaction.
Devices like IV catheters and surgical incisions can provide an entryway, whereas a healthy immune system helps fight infection.
When patients are sick and receive medical treatment in healthcare facilities, the following factors can increase their susceptibility to infection.
- Patients in healthcare who have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, and organ transplantation are at increased risk for infection because often these illnesses decrease the immune system’s ability to fight infection.
- Certain medications used to treat medical conditions, such as antibiotics, steroids, and certain cancer fighting medications increase the risk of some types of infections.
- Lifesaving medical treatments and procedures used in healthcare such as urinary catheters, tubes, and surgery increase the risk of infection by providing additional ways that germs can enter the body.
Recognizing the factors that increase patients’ susceptibility to infection allows providers to recognize risks and perform basic infection prevention measures to prevent infection from occurring.
Transmission refers to the way germs are moved to the susceptible person.
Germs don’t move themselves. Germs depend on people, the environment, and/or medical equipment to move in healthcare settings.
There are a few general ways that germs travel in healthcare settings – through contact (i.e., touching), sprays and splashes, inhalation, and sharps injuries (i.e., when someone is accidentally stuck with a used needle or sharp instrument).
- Contact moves germs by touch (example: MRSA or VRE). For example, healthcare provider hands become contaminated by touching germs present on medical equipment or high touch surfaces and then carry the germs on their hands and spread to a susceptible person when proper hand hygiene is not performed before touching the susceptible person.
- Sprays and splashes occur when an infected person coughs or sneezes, creating droplets which carry germs short distances (within approximately 6 feet). These germs can land on a susceptible person’s eyes, nose, or mouth and can cause infection (example: pertussis or meningitis).
- Close range inhalation occurs when a droplet containing germs is small enough to breathe in but not durable over distance.
- Inhalation occurs when germs are aerosolized in tiny particles that survive on air currents over great distances and time and reach a susceptible person. Airborne transmission can occur when infected patients cough, talk, or sneeze germs into the air (example: TB or measles), or when germs are aerosolized by medical equipment or by dust from a construction zone (example: Nontuberculous mycobacteria or aspergillus).
- Sharps injuries can lead to infections (example: HIV, HBV, HCV) when bloodborne pathogens enter a person through a skin puncture by a used needle or sharp instrument.