Contribute to the Support of Infection Prevention and Control in Social Care

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Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care * Contribute to the support of infection prevention and control in social care 1.1 Identify how infections are spread. There are many practices that can lead to the spread of infection. Here are a few: not washing hands, sharing personal items such as towels, toothbrushes, etc. , unsafe food practices, not keeping up to date with vaccines, and not covering coughs and sneezes properly. 1.2 Describe how breaking the chain of infection minimizes the spread of infection. Breaking the chain of infection by targeting one or more links can prevent the spread of infection. This usually involves: Eradicating the source of infection through appropriate antimicrobial therapy; preventing the method of spread through infection prevention and control measures; * such as hand and personal hygiene; * use of Personal Protective Equipment ; * environmental cleaning; * decontamination of equipment; * Disposal of waste. Protecting the individual at risk by immunization; Preventing microorganisms from entering the body by: * wearing protective clothing; * using an aseptic technique when handling invasive devices or dressing wounds; * Covering wounds and insertion sites with sterile dressings etc. It will not be possible to identify all service users who have an infection. Some diseases are infectious before any signs develop. Some infections may not show any signs or symptoms, such as hepatitis B or HIV. Some people may carry a microorganism without developing the infection themselves, e.g. salmonella or MRSA. For this reason it is important for everyone to follow standard precautions at all times to help protect service users, care workers and others from infection. 1.3 Identify individuals that may be more vulnerable to infection. Individuals that maybe more vulnerable to

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