Infection Prevention

Think about a game of tag on the playground. One kid is "it," and a single touch passes it along. Germs play tag the same way. Stopping the game is called infection control. It means all the habits that keep germs from being passed along in a client's home.

Germs need a few things lined up to keep playing. That lineup is the chain of infection. First there has to be a place the germ lives, like a sick person or a dirty surface. Then there has to be a way out, like a cough or a cut. Next the germ needs a ride, such as hands, a tissue, or a doorknob. Finally it needs a way into a new person, like a mouth, a nose, or broken skin. Each of those steps is a link in the chain. Break one link and the whole chain falls apart. The germ is stuck with no way to reach the next player.

The easiest link to break is the ride. That is why hand washing is the most important habit a CHHA has. Clean hands mean the germ has no ride. Gloves help with the same job when the CHHA might touch blood or other body fluids. Doing these habits with every client is called standard precautions. The word "standard" means always, not sometimes. A CHHA treats everyone's blood and body fluids as if they could carry germs. Nobody can tell by looking who is carrying something.

Some of the things a CHHA throws away are more dangerous than normal trash. Used gloves, soiled dressings, and anything wet with body fluids are called hazardous waste. Hazardous means it can hurt someone. These items go into a special bag right away so no one in the home touches them by accident. The agency explains where that bag goes.

Three germs get extra attention in training. Tuberculosis is a lung germ that rides through the air when a sick person coughs. HIV and Hepatitis B are germs that travel in blood and some body fluids. The same habits work against all three. Wash hands, wear gloves when needed, bag soiled items, and report anything unusual to the nurse. When a CHHA plays by these rules, the germs never get to tag anyone new.