Clothing ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/*isolation & purification ; Physician-Patient Relations ; Safety ; Staphylococcal Infections/*transmission

Health Personnel ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Occupational Diseases ; prevention & control

INTRODUCTION: Oropharyngeal swabs for diagnosis of COVID-19 often induce violent coughing, which can disperse infectious droplets onto providers. Incorrectly doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) increases the risk of transmission. A cheap, single-use variation of the face shield invented by a Singaporean team, SG Shield, aims to reduce this risk. This manikin study aimed to study the efficacy of the SG Shield in combination with standard PPE. METHODS: A person attired in full PPE whose face and chest was lined with grid paper stood in front of an airway manikin in an enclosed room. A small latex balloon containing ultraviolet fluorescent dye was placed in the oral cavity of the manikin and inflated until explosion to simulate a cough. Three study groups were tested: (a) control (no shield), (b) face shield and (c) SG Shield. The primary outcome was droplet dispersion, determined quantitatively by calculating the proportion of grid paper wall squares stained with fluorescent dye. The secondary outcome was the severity of provider contamination. RESULTS: The SG Shield significantly reduced droplet dispersion to 0% compared to the controls (99.0%, P = 0.001). The face shield also significantly reduced droplet contamination but to a lesser extent (80.0%) compared to the control group (P = 0.001). Although the qualitative severity of droplet contamination was significantly lower in both groups compared to the controls, the face shield group had more contamination of the provider's head and neck. CONCLUSION The manikin study showed that the SG Shield significantly reduces droplet dispersion to the swab provider's face and chest.
Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional/prevention & control* ; COVID-19 ; Fluorescent Dyes ; Personal Protective Equipment ; Cough

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the present situation of hospital infection and route of infection by clarifying the transmission aspect of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) in a Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit by analysing genotype. METHODS: MRSA was cultured from twenty five patients with a tracheostomy, twenty five health care workers, and environments in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit of one hospital in D city. Data was collected from December 21, 2004 to November 5, 2005. MRSA isolates representing each genotype were analyzed by spaA typing and a multiplex PCR method capable of identifying the structural type of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec(SCCmec) carried by the bacteria. RESULTS: As the same genotype and gene sequence were found among health care workers, patients, and environments, it was assumed that there was cross transmission among them. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that first, as the hospital infection by MRSA between health care workers and patients in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit was due to result of cross transmission and the relevance of transmission between them was verified, it is necessary to take preventive measures and conduct education. Secondly, development of nursing interventions and study of infection are needed. Thirdly, consistent investment in prevention against hospital infections and environmental renovation is needed.
Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Genotype ; Humans ; *Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; *Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient ; Intensive Care Units ; *Methicillin Resistance ; Neurosurgery ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology/*transmission ; Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Tracheostomy

Australia ; HIV Infections ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Hepatitis B ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Hepatitis C ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; prevention & control ; Occupational Exposure ; Risk Assessment

OBJECTIVETo explore the characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) transmission in the population base on analyzing the first imported case and the chains of transmission.

METHODSFor the first imported SARS case and cases who were transmitted by the index case, epidemiological investigations were conducted using the guidelines for surveillance and case investigation issued by the Ministry of Health. Data as the date of onset of symptoms, date of hospitalization, contact history etc. for each of the cases and their close contacts were collected and analyzed.

RESULTSThe first imported SARS case introduced to Beijing had infected 9 people within the family and at the hospital, with two of whom died of the same disease. The incubation period for that index case was 4 days, and that for the cases considered to be the secondary and tertiary generations were 7 and 8 days, respectively. The shorter the incubation period, the longer the fever would last and clinically more severe.

CONCLUSIONOne of the epidemiological characteristics of SARS in Beijing was noticed that the disease clustered in families and hospitals. Infection through droplets and close contact has been viewed as the primary mode of transmission.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Contact Tracing ; Cross Infection ; transmission ; Family Health ; Female ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; transmission

INTRODUCTIONHelicobacter pylori has been recognised as a major cause of gastroduodenal diseases, including gastric and duodenal ulcers with faeco-oral, oro-oral and gastro-oral transmission occurring. With the close personal contact inherent in patient care, health care workers may be at an increased risk of acquiring H. pylori and subsequent development of associated conditions. The objective of this review was to review the transmission and the occupational risk for health care workers.

METHODSA literature search was performed using Pubmed (January 1990 to May 2001). Relevant key words were used and additional manual searches were made using the reference lists from the selected articles to retrieve other papers relevant to the topic.

RESULTSCurrent knowledge implies various pathways of agent transmission, favouring person-to-person mode of transmission early in life. Faeco-oral, oro-oral and gastro-oral transmissions are proposed and may be of different relevance among various populations. As for health care workers, after elimination of the methodological weak studies, the risk seems to be increased in gastroenterologists, endoscopy staff and intensive care nurses. Results in other groups are conflicting.

CONCLUSIONSH. pylori infection is an occupational risk in some groups of health care workers. Studies are needed to elucidate the risk in other occupational groups.

Helicobacter Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; transmission ; Helicobacter pylori ; physiology ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Medical Staff ; Occupational Diseases ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the transmission process of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and to evaluate the infectiveness of SARS patients in different periods of disease epidemics.

METHODSStandardized questionnaire was used to conduct case investigation and contact tracing by combining the field investigation and telephone interview. Transmission process, infectivity, transmission chain and contact history of SARS were studied through data analyses.

RESULTSOn 25th March 2003, a 91 year old man was admitted to Hospital J in Beijing with stroke and fever. He died on 30th March. From 31st March, there was an outbreak of SARS among his contacts in the family and in the hospital he was admitted to. Contacts would include his relatives, other co-patients and health care workers in the Hospital J. Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program trainees conducted an investigation of the outbreak. Among the 207 contacts of the index cases through different generations, there were 36 cases of SARS (attack rate 17%) patients with one death. There were 12 cases having directly contact with the index case and 13 cases with one secondary case. The transmission chains of this outbreak could clearly be depicted. All the cases had close contacts during the symptomatic period of their index patients. Among the relatives, 85% of the cases had 3 - 5-day contact with their index patients after the onset of the illnesses. There was no significant difference between the two attack rates-70% for whose who had contact with the patient before and after illness onset) and 67% for those who only had contact after the onset of the illness. Out of the 44 social acquaintances and 38 of the family members who had contacts with the index patients during the incubation period, no one was found ill. Among the close contacts at the hospital who had no protection when providing care to the patient, the attack rate was found over 80%.

CONCLUSIONSAll the secondary cases of this outbreak had a history of direct and close contacts to the index patients after the onset of the illness. There was no evidence indicating that SARS cases were infectious during their incubation period.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Male ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

China ; HIV Infections ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Personnel ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; prevention & control ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo investigate the knowledge, attitude of the AIDS prevention and occupational safety in dentist in Kunming and west part of Yunnan and evaluate the effect of education and intervention.

METHOD165 dentists in Yunnan were tested by KABP questionnaire before education. All of the 165 dentists participated a course on AIDS prevention. After that course the same questionnaire was answered by participants.

RESULTThe correct rates obviously increased. The understanding rates of the oral prevention measure were obviously improved.

CONCLUSIONThe knowledge of AIDS prevention is very low in dentist in Kunming and west part of Yunnan. The education intervention can effectively improve the understanding level of the AIDS prevention in dentist.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; prevention & control ; transmission ; China ; Dentists ; Education, Dental ; methods ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; prevention & control ; Occupational Diseases ; prevention & control ; Occupational Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires