Germs are found all around us in the air we breathe, on the ground and surfaces we touch, in what we eat or drink, and within and on our bodies. Some germs help keep us healthy while making us sick. God created our bodies with an amazing immune system that attacks bad germs and infections to destroy; however, our bodies do not always work as they should. Sometimes our immune system doesn’t work correctly. Other times, the immune system the germs overwhelm by the large number that enter the body or because the germ is too powerful for the body to defeat.
Infection control helps us protect the body by decreasing the risk of encountering germs we cannot defeat. Through using cleaning techniques, barriers to prevent germs from getting to us, and safety measures to prevent exposure to germs, we stop the risk of harm before we have to fight the infection.
Hands are a Lethal Weapon Taking the time to wash your hands is the #1 defensive action to prevent infection. Your hands come into contact with more germs than any other body part. Once a bug takes hold, the hands transport that germ to multiple body locations within minutes. Tracking the hands’ movements shows the …
Sometimes Sterile Technique is Preferred Using a clean technique works for most procedures you perform at home. However, specific jobs may be too risky to use clean techniques alone. For example, when you complete a process that requires putting a foreign body into the bloodstream, the potential exists to introduce bacteria. Once the bacteria …
How to Prevent Spreading Infections by Touching (Contact) an Object Directly or Indirectly Many infections spread through direct contact (touching the source) or indirect contact (touching something or someone who has contacted the object and has the organism on it.) The precautions for infections spread by contact require a barrier (i.e. something to prevent …
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