infections
Prevention of Infection
Introduction
Several measures help protect people against infection. Handwashingis an effective way of preventing the spread of infectious microorganisms from one person to another. Handwashing is particularly important for people who handle food or who have frequent physical contact with other people, particularly people who are ill. Hand sanitizersare liquids or foams that contain at least 60% alcohol, which kills most infectious microorganisms. Because many infectious organisms can be carried on people's hands, using hand sanitizer significantly reduces the chance of spreading infection. Mask wearingcan help reduce the spread of respiratory infections. Many respiratory infections are spread by droplets (droplets vary in size depending on the type of bacteria or virus) in the air that are produced when infected people cough, sneeze, breathe, or talk. Masks should be worn by people with infection to keep them from spreading the infection to others. Masks also may be worn by people to lessen the chance of becoming infected. Different types of masks provide different levels of protection, including (in increasing order of protection): multi-layer cloth masks; multi-layer surgical masks and K95 masks; and N95 masks (see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's [CDC]Types of Masks and Respirators). People visiting hospital patients who are seriously ill should wash their hands and use hand sanitizer and will likely be asked to put on a gown, mask, and gloves before entering the patient’s room. Overview of Antibiotics None Overview of Immunization None (See also Overview of Infectious Disease .) 