Hand washing is the number one way to prevent the spread of infection. Many viruses can be easily spread through contact with surfaces contaminated by infected droplets from sneezing, coughing or breathing. Hepatitis A, B, and C are viruses that cause liver inflammation and can be transmitted through stool or blood. Other contagious bacteria like those that cause mono, varicella, and rubella are spread through body fluids or direct contact. Proper hand washing with soap and hot water for 30 seconds, scrubbing diligently, is the best way to prevent transmitting infections between patients or surfaces.

1. Hand Washing
The number one way to prevent the spread of infection!

2. • Viruses that can be spread easily.
Hepatitis
• Hepatitis A
• Causes inflammation of the liver.
• Found mostly in the stool or blood.
• Hepatitis B
• Can also cause inflammation of the
liver.
• Can cause cirrhosis.
• Chronic persistent hepatitis.
• Fulminant hepatitis.
• Can lead to liver failure and even
death.
• Hepatitis C
• Causes an inflammation of the liver.
• Can develop liver cancer.
• It also causes liver disease.

3. Other well known
bacteria that cause
infection.
• Mono
• Only lasts a number of hours
outside the body.
• Contagious through body fluids,
especially saliva.
• Varicella
• Highly contagious by just being
exposed.
• Rubella
• Spreads on contact through a
rash.

4. How infections spread.
1. Surface contamination.
The way most viruses are contracted on
surfaces is through touch.
Hepatitis B can live for up to seven days
and still be able to infect someone.
2. Air-born droplets.
The easiest way to be infected through
air born viruses is by not wearing a mask
and unintentionally inhaling infected
droplets in the air.
Droplets can be due to someone
sneezing, coughing, or even breathing
heavily.
3. I.V. drug use.
Using an unclean needle to inject a drug
directly into their blood stream.

5. Hand washing
is the best way
to prevent
infection!

6. Wash your Watch This Video
hands!!!
Seventy percent of all
infections are nosocomial,
which means that they are
drug resistant bacteria.
It has been estimated that
hospital acquired infections
cost the NHS £930.6 million
per year, affects 1 in 10
patients, and kills about
5000 patients per annum in
the UK.

7. Wash your
hands
properly…..
1. Use surgical soap that is rated high
in killing most types of viruses.
2. Use hot water and soap.
3. Lather up for thirty seconds and
rinse thoroughly.
4. Scrub very diligently because some
viruses can spread through spores
that do not die on contact with
soap.
5. Singing Happy Birthday twice helps
give you the proper amount of time
to adequately wash your hands.

8. SO MAKE SURE TO…..
WASH
YOUR
HANDS

9. WORKS CITED
Burke JP. Infection Control — A Problem for Patient Safety. N Engl J Med. Feb 2003;348(7):651-656
This journal is about infections among hospital patients. It goes over the risks factors when healthcare workers
have patient contact. It tells about how some bacteria can cause infections due to being drug resistant. It also
reviews the ways in which bacteria can be transmitted from patient to patient. Prevention techniques are covered
extensively as they are key to stopping the spread of infection and increasing patient safety after they have been
admitted into a hospital environment.
Cramer, David A., MD, Monique Laberge, PhD and Rebecca J. Frey, PhD. "Hepatitis B." Gale Encyclopedia of
Medicine. Ed. Laurie J. Fundukian. Vol. 3. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Nursing Resource Center. Gale. State
College of FL Manatee-Sarasota. 30 Nov. 2012
<http://find.galegroup.com.db15.linccweb.org/nrcx/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=NRC&userGroupName=linc
clin_mcc&tabID=T001&docId=DB2979100804&type=retrieve&contentSet=GREF&version=1.0>.
This article reviews the different aspects of Hepatitis B. This includes the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and
prognosis. The quote used is from the description of the virus which went into great detail and explained down to
the molecular characteristics of the virus. Other information included in the article dealt with the ways to contract
the virus and what to be cautious of and what not to be cautious of with dealing with hepatitis patients in a public
setting.
N. Levy, J. Mauger. "HAND WASHING." Anaesthesia April 1, 2004: 411. Print.
This article has to do with hand hygiene in the U.K. hospitals. It refers to the percentages that doctors and
anesthetists wash their hands between patient episodes. It goes on to describe the cost of cross infection among
patients to the hospital and the amount of death experienced because of improper hand hygiene.