RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

Emerging Infectious Diseases(birds,bugs and people)

SARS

Ebola-Marburgviral (hemorrhagic fevers)

Anthrax

Avian flu ???

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

{} Prevent bad things by planning for them.

{} Minimize impact by planning and preparation.

{} Principles of response incorporate safety for responders

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

  • System Program that can run lots of different software
  • Infection disease control plan

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

All Hazards Approach calls for a generalized preparedness so general principles, approach, organizational structure and response can be applied to variety of events and situations.

Basic elements of All Hazards Approach: NYC DOH/COH
  • Coordination of emergency agencies with public health andpublic safety
  • Enhanced surveillance system: especially primary care health professional community (the first to sound alarms for W Nile, anthrax, monkeypox in the mid west, tularemia on Martha's

Vineyard, were primary care hcws)

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

All Hazards Approach (cont)

  • Preplanning for surge capacity i.e. what to do in a mass casualty event (WTC, Station Fire,Avflu?), vaccination /antibiotic distribution event or emerg event requiring quarantine (SARs).

(Int’l relief response agencies e.g. Int’l Rescue committee)

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

All Hazards Approach (cont)

  • Emerg communications and communication to the public
  • Frequent drills and exercises
  • Increase public and official literacy

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

Generic features of infection control program for a facility:

  • criteria to define a case. cluster, outbreak
  • standard and contact precautions;

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

(Cont}Generic features of infection control program for a facility:

  • isolation practices relating to droplet precautions
  • respiratory protection policy (airborne and not just droplet exposures);
  • controls and practices for high risk procedures
  • patient cough etiquette;

Generic features of infection control program for a facility:

  • strict enforcement of hand and surface hygiene;
  • management of staff and visitor traffic
  • role of vaccines and anti-viral meds and related therapies (e.g. drugs that interrupt mediators of sepsis).

Pandemic flu

Recommendations for first responders (CDC/RIDOH 12/05)

  • Standard precaution s
  • hand washing after every encounter
  • {masking patient (surgical)}
  • Face protection (goggles shield...)
  • Disposable PPE
  • Disposable respirators N-95s

RI Committee on Occupational Safety &Health

Av flu websites:

CDC’s wwcdc.gov/flu/avian/ and the WHO’s

 is a great resource from public health perspective and is directed to specific facility plans both internationally and in US.

infection control policies on state/ national level

  • Pharmaceutical therapies
  • Patient handling, (SARS isolation)
  • Surveillance
  • Travel Restrictions, Screening Travelers, ClosingSchools
  • Limiting Public Gatherings.
  • Restrictions On Business And Commercial Activity
  • Maintaining Strict Infection Control Procedures Within High Risk Settings,

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