Communicable Disease

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Communicable Disease

• EMS DRILL 10-23-06

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Why all the protective gear? I'm not contagious!

• Because of the risk of infectious diseases, EMTs
  practice universal precautions, assuming that
  every patient could be contagious. This means
  wearing latex gloves, eye protection, and a mask
  if necessary. It's nothing personal it protects
  both the care provider and the patient

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Infectious Disease

• Produced by invasion of body by
• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Fungi
• Other organisms

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Communicable Disease

• Infectious disease
• Transmissible from one infected organism to
  another

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Transmitted by

• Direct contact
• Indirect contact
• Airborne transmission
• Vehicle transmission (food, water, needles)
• Vector transmission (organisms)

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Prevention

• Maintain good personal health status
• Regular physical exams

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Prevention

• Immunizations for
• Tetanus/diphtheria
• Hepatitis B
• Measles, mumps, rubella
• TB skin test at least annually

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Prevention

• Consider immunizations for
• Influenza
• Hepatitis A
• Chicken pox

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Prevention

• Wash hands following patient contacts
• Wear gloves when contact with human body fluids
  is anticipated
• Wear face mask if patient has productive cough
  (or put mask on patient)

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Prevention

• Avoid needle stick (Do NOT recap needles)
• Clean up blood spills quickly using bleach
  solution
• Use disposable equipment

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Tuberculosis
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Tuberculosis

• Bacterial infection (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
• Transmitted by droplets
• Pulmonary TB - cough, infected sputum,
  hemoptysis, pleuritic pain)

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Tuberculosis

• Pulmonary TB Signs/Symptoms
• Cough
• Infected sputum
• Hemoptysis
• Pleuritic pain

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Tuberculosis

• Very low communicability, requires repeated
  exposure
• Mask patients with active TB
• Routine skin tests follow-up on positive reactors

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Viral Hepatitis
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Hepatitis A

• Fecal-oral contact
• Children, young adults
• Most infections subclinical or very mild
• Does not cause chronic liver disease or carrier
  state

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Hepatitis B

• Parenteral transmission (blood, dirty needles)
• Sexual transmission
• Can cause liver failure, necrotic cirrhosis
• Can cause carrier state

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Viral Hepatitis

• Signs/Symptoms
• Anorexia
• Malaise
• Nausea, vomiting
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Dark urine, jaundice

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Viral Hepatitis

• Vaccine, immune serum globulin available for both
  A and B

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Meningitis
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Meningitis

• Inflammation of membranes covering brain, spinal
  cord
• Bacteria, viruses, fungi
• Bacterial forms most serious

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Bacterial Meningitis

• Signs/Symptoms
• Headache
• Nausea
• Fever
• Stiff neck
• Rapid progression to delirium, coma, seizures

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Bacterial Meningitis

• Neissera meningitidis
• Petechiae
• Ecchymosis
• Septic shock

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Bacterial Meningitis

• Avoid contact with oral secretions
• Not transmissible by breathing same air as
  patient
• If close contact occurs, Rifampin 600mg bid ? 2d

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HIV/AIDS
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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

• Viral infection ? Human immunodeficiency virus
  (HIV)
• Damage to helper T cells suppresses immune system

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AIDS

• Recurring opportunistic infections
• Pneumocystis carini pneumonia
• Kaposis sarcoma
• Candida albicans

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HIV/AIDS

• Transmitted by blood, semen, vaginal secretions
• Contact with tears, saliva, sweat will not cause
  infection
• Cannot be transmitted by casual contact
• Wash hands, wear gloves, needle precautions

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Exposure Policy

• Purpose
• Responsibilities
• Procedures