title: [Infection control in hospitals].
abstract: Infection control committee as the central decision-making and infection control team (ICT) for carrying out all aspects of infection control are important for hospital infection control. Standard precautions are used for all patients and apply to all body fluids except for sweat, whether or not they contain visible blood. Transmission-based precautions involve airborne, droplet, contact vector-borne and common vehicle precautions. Airborne precautions are for tuberculosis, varicella and measles. Small particles (< 5 microm) can be dispersed widely by air currents. Droplet precautions are for influenza, rubella, pertussis, and so on. Transmission via large droplet (< 5 microm) requires close contact within 1 to 2 m. Contact transmissions are for blood-borne pathogens, such as hepatitis B and C virus and HIV, bacterial infections via percutaneous and mucocutaneous exposure, and so on. Vaccinations for measles, rubella, varicella, mumps, influenza and hepatitis B virus to health-care workers are important. Influenza virus is mainly transmitted via droplet and contact, but also via airborne transmission in the aerosol-generating procedures such as intubation and suctioning. WHO declared a public health emergency in April 2009. A novel influenza has spread rapidly across the globe, and it will be necessary to prepare for the outbreak in this autumn and winter.
authors.affiliation: Division of Control and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba.
authors.forename: Takeyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D016358:Contact Tracing; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D014611:Vaccination