The document provides information on preventing infectious diseases in the home setting. It defines infectious diseases as those caused by microorganisms that enter and multiply in the body, damaging tissues and producing symptoms. Infectious diseases can spread directly through person-to-person contact or indirectly through vehicles like contaminated surfaces or vectors like insects. Proper hand hygiene, including washing with soap and water or using alcohol-based sanitizers, is the best way to prevent disease transmission, especially when hands are visibly dirty or before eating. Maintaining a clean home environment and practicing good hygiene habits can help minimize infection risks.

1. Infection Prevention in
Home Setting
Marciano del Rosario Memorial National High School
Pamaldan, Cabanatuan City

2. Welcome!
Germs can spread rapidly
at home.
Increased awareness will
minimize the risk of
infection, prevent disease
transmission, and preserve
a healthy and safe home
environment.

3. What is an Infectious
Disease?
▪ Infection
– An infection occurs when microorganisms, or germs, enter
and multiply in the body.
▪ Infectious Disease
– An infectious disease occurs when the infection damages
the body and produces signs and symptoms indicating the
body is unhealthy.
▪ Infectious Agent
– Infectious agents are microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi,
viruses, protozoa, and parasites that can cause infectious
disease.
www.mayoclinic.com/health/infectious-disease/ID0004

4. Infectious Disease Examples
▪ Common Cold
▪ Influenza
▪ Meningitis
▪ Chickenpox
▪ Staph / Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
▪ Tuberculosis
▪ Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
▪ Head lice
▪ Ringworm
▪ Salmonellosis
▪ Chlamydia
▪ Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
▪ Hepatitis A, B, and C
▪ COVID 19
www.go.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cdc/fs/infcontshelter.pdf

5. How Are Infectious Diseases Spread?
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

6. How Are Infectious Diseases Spread?
Three ways in which infectious diseases
can be transmitted:
▪Direct transmission
▪Indirect transmission
▪Airborne transmission
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

7. Direct Transmission
Direct transmission
occurs when an
infectious agent is
transferred directly into
the body such as
through the eyes, nose,
mouth, or through a
break in the skin such
as a cut on the finger.
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

8. Direct Transmission
Infectious agents are spread directly in the
following ways:
▪ Person-to-person
– through physical contact including touching, biting,
hugging, or kissing
– Example: MRSA, Hepatitis
▪ Animal-to-person
– through physical contact, bites, and scratches
– Example: Ringworm, Rabies
▪ Infectious droplets
– during coughing, sneezing, talking, singing, and spitting
(spread is limited to approximately three feet)
– Example: Cold, Influenza
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

10. Indirect Transmission
Infectious diseases are spread indirectly through
vehicles and vectors.
▪ Vehicle-borne transmission
– Some infectious agents can linger on inanimate objects,
such as desks, chairs, computer keyboards, doorknobs,
faucets, toys, eating utensils, or clothing.
– Other vehicles include food, water, and biological
products such as blood and body fluids.
▪ Vector-borne transmission
– Common vectors include insects, such as mosquitoes,
ticks, and lice.
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

11. Indirect Transmission
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

12. Airborne Transmission
Airborne transmission is
the spread of infectious
agents as aerosols that
usually enter the
respiratory tract.
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

13. Importance of Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene, including
hand washing and the
use of hand sanitizer, is
extremely important in
preventing infectious
disease transmission in a
classroom environment.
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands

14. Handwashing
Three necessary components
of proper hand washing
include:
•Soap
•Clean water
•Friction
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/

15. Handwashing
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/

16. Easy to Miss Areas
Using proper technique is essential
to sanitizing hands effectively.
Inadequate hand washing causes
significant areas of the hands to be
missed.
All areas of the fingers, hands, and
wrists must be covered during hand
hygiene.
www.foodlink.org.uk/factfile_c.asp?file=2&chapter=2

17. Frequently Missed Areas
http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/social_services/general_information/partners/handwashing.htm

18. When to Wash Hands
▪ After blowing the nose, sneezing, or coughing
▪ After going to the bathroom
▪ After contact with blood or body fluids, such as
saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces, or vomit
▪ After PE or playing sports
▪ After playing outside at recess
▪ After handling garbage or waste
▪ When hands appear soiled
▪ Before preparing medicine or
handling contact lenses
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/

19. When to Wash Hands
▪ Before preparing, serving, or handling food
▪ Before eating lunch or snacks
▪ Frequently when sick or after contact with others
who are sick
▪ Before and after touching a cut or wound
▪ Before and after touching the eyes,
nose, or mouth
▪ After handling animals,
animal waste, or their belongings,
such as toys or a leash
www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/

21. Waterless Alcohol-based
Hand Sanitizer
▪ When to Use
– Substitute when soap and water are not
available.
– Ineffective for cleaning hands that are
visibly dirty.
– Do not substitute when handling or
preparing food.
– Do not overuse; traditional hand
washing is best.
– Supervise children while they use hand
sanitizer.
▪ Two necessary components
– Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
– Friction
www.health.state.mn.us/handhygiene/clean.html

22. Proper Hand Sanitizer Technique
▪ Proper Technique
– Apply small amount of hand
sanitizer to the palm.
– Rub hands together covering all
surfaces, much like when
washing hands with soap and
water.
– Rub until hand sanitizer is
absorbed completely and hands
become dry.
www.health.state.mn.us/handhygiene/clean.html

23. “A study of 305
school children found
that those who
washed their hands
four times a day had
24% fewer sick days
due to respiratory
illness and 51% fewer
sick days due to
upset stomach.”
www.cdc.gov

25. General Infection Prevention (2)
▪ Teach children to properly dispose of used tissues.
▪ Provide tissues and trash receptacles at home.
▪ Advise parents to keep sick children in their room and
avoid contact with other members of the family.
▪ Remain at home when ill and encourage others to do the
same.
▪ Avoid close contact (less than 3 feet of space) with those
who are sick.
▪ Maintain and promote good personal hygiene; bathe and
wash hands regularly.
▪ Discourage touching the eyes, nose, and mouth.
▪ Maintain a clean environment.
▪ Ensure commonly used areas such as door handles, eating
surfaces, and other parts of the house clean and
disinfected.

26. General Infection Prevention (3)
▪ Keep open wounds clean and covered with a bandage
until healed.
▪ Avoid contact with other people’s wounds and bandages.
▪ Discourage sharing eating utensils, glassware, or personal
items such as toothbrushes, combs, razors, towels,
clothing or other items that come into contact with bare
skin.
▪ Clean shared sports equipment with antiseptic before
each use or use a cloth or a towel as a barrier between
the skin and the equipment.
▪ Avoid skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has a Staph
infection.
▪ Encourage a healthy lifestyle that includes a nutritious
diet and adequate sleep.