What is the number one way to prevent illness in a pet care center

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 20, 2024

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Show Me the Science Why Wash Your Hands?

Feces (poop) from people or animals is an important source of germs like Salmonella,E. coli O157,and norovirus that cause diarrhea, and it can spread some respiratory infections like adenovirusand hand-foot-mouth disease.These kinds of germs can get onto hands after people use the toilet or change a diaper, but also in less obvious ways, like after handling raw meats that have invisible amounts of animal poop on them. A single gram of human feceswhich is about the weight of a paper clipcan contain one trillion germs ¹. Germs can also get onto hands if people touch any object that has germs on it because someone coughed or sneezed on it or was touched by some other contaminated object. When these germs get onto hands and are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person and make people sick.

How to prevent infections

A few simple precautions can help you avoid getting sick with an infectious disease

Infections are caused by microscopic organisms known as pathogensbacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasitesthat enter the body, multiply, and interfere with normal functions. Infectious diseases are a leading cause of illness and death in the United States and around the world. For certain people--particularly those with underlying illnesses like heart disease or cancer, those who have serious injuries, or those who are taking medications that weaken the immune systemit's more difficult to avoid getting sick with an infection. Living in an affluent country like the United States, the threat we face from deadly viruses, bacteria, and parasites can seem remote, but these infectious microbes are ever present among us, according to Dr. Michael Klompas, writing in the Harvard Medical School Special Health ReportViruses and Disease. Dr. Klompas is an infectious disease specialist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. However, for most healthy people, following a few basic principles can go a long way in helping to prevent infections.

Understanding how infections are transmitted can help you avoid getting sick

Not long ago, no one understood that infectious diseases were caused by tiny organisms that moved from person to person. Even now, although we know that microscopic living microbes cause disease, how they do so is not always obvious. But we do know that most microbes enter through openings in the bodyour noses, mouths, ears, anuses, and genital passages. They can also be transmitted through our skin through insect or animal bites. The best way to prevent infections is to block pathogens from entering the body.

Good hygiene: the primary way to prevent infections

The first line of defense is to keep germs at bay by following good personal hygiene habits. Prevent infection before it begins and avoid spreading it to others with these easy measures.

Wash your hands well. You probably wash your hands after using the bathroom, before preparing or eating food, and after gardening or other dirty tasks. You should also wash up after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; feeding or stroking your pet; or visiting or caring for a sick person. Wet your hands thoroughly. Lather up with soap or cleanser, and rub it into the palms and backs of your hands and your wrists. Be sure to clean your fingertips, under your nails and between your fingers. Rinse under running water. Dry your hands and wrists thoroughly.
Cover a cough. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough, then dispose of it. If no tissue is handy, cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than into your hands.
Wash and bandage all cuts. Any serious cut or animal or human bite should be examined by a doctor.
Do not pick at healing wounds or blemishes, or squeeze pimples.
Don't share dishes, glasses, or eating utensils.
Avoid direct contact with napkins, tissues, handkerchiefs, or similar items used by others.

Practice good food-safety techniques to avoid getting sick

Although most cases of food-borne infection are not dangerous, some can lead to serious medical conditions, including kidney failure and meningitis. You can prevent infections by food-borne pathogens in your household by preparing and storing foods safely. The following precautions will help kill microbes that are present in the food you buy and help you avoid introducing new microbes into your food at home:

Rinse all meat, poultry, fish, fruits, and vegetables under running water before cooking or serving them.
Wash your hands with soap and water before and after you handle raw meat.
Separate raw foods and cooked foods. Don't use the same utensils or cutting boards with cooked meat that were used to prepare the raw meat without washing between uses.
Cook foods thoroughly, using a meat thermometer to ensure that whole poultry is cooked to 180 F, roasts and steaks to 145 F, and ground meats to 160 F. Cook fish until it is opaque.
Defrost foods only in the refrigerator or in the microwave.

Whether you are young or young at heart, getting vaccinated is an essential part of staying healthy. Many serious infections can be prevented by immunization. While vaccines may cause some common side effects, such as a temporarily sore arm or low fever, they are generally safe and effective.

Vaccinations are essential if you are to avoid getting sick

Consult your health care provider regarding your immunization status. In general:

Children should receive the recommended childhood vaccinations.
Adults should make sure their vaccinations are up to date.
When traveling abroad, check with your health care provider about additional immunizations.
Make sure your pet's vaccinations are up to date, too. In addition to protecting your pet, this will also protect you and your family.

Take travel precautions

If you are planning a trip, ask your doctor if you need any immunizations. Discuss your travel plans with your physician at least three months before you leave.

If you are traveling to an area where insect-borne disease is present, take and use an insect repellent containing DEET. In many tropical regions, mosquitoes can carry malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, or other serious infections.
Get your shots before you leave the United States. Avoid getting any unnecessary shots, immunizations, or tattoos abroad. Needles and syringes (even the disposable ones) are reused in some parts of the world.
Do not consume ice while traveling. Freezing does not kill all water-borne infectious microbes.
Drink only bottled drinkssuch as soft drinks or bottled waterthat have secure caps. Be aware that some fruit juices may be made with impure local water.
Boil all tap water before drinking or drink only bottled water; use bottled or boiled water to brush your teeth.
Do not eat uncooked vegetables, including lettuce; do not eat fruit you haven't peeled yourself.
Do not consume dairy products (milk may not be pasteurized).

How to prevent infections by sexual transmission

The only sure way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases is to not have sexual intercourse or other sexual contact. That's not an option for most people, so the next best choice is to follow these safer sex guidelines:

Engage in sexual contact only with one partner who is having sex only with you.
Both you and your partner should be tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

If you do have sex with a new partner, make sure the partner is tested, and take the following precautions:

For vaginal sex, use a latex or polyurethane condom or a female condom.
For oral sex, use a latex or polyurethane male condom or a female condom.
For anal sex, use a latex or polyurethane male condom.

Avoiding bug-borne pathogens

Both mosquitos and ticks are carriers of viruses and bacteria. And both have been associated with serious epidemics in the last decade.

While it's true that most mosquitoes in northern climates don't transmit disease, some do. Within one decade, West Nile virus has spread throughout the United States and parts of Canada. Several other forms of mosquito-borne encephalitis are also carried by mosquitoes in North America. Tropical diseases pose a threat if the mosquitoes that carry them hitch a ride in boats or expand their range northward from Central America.

Ticks are widespread and can transmit a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease and many others. They live in grassy and brushy areas and are most prevalent during wet seasons. A common hiding place is in wet leaves. They often infest animals, including field mice and deer. And they may be transported into your home by your pets.

The following can help prevent infections from bug bites:

Use insect repellents approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, including those containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. If mosquitoes are biting you, reapply the repellent.
Limit outdoor activity during peak mosquito hours of early morning and evening.
Drain any standing water near your home to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
Check your neighborhood and pick up trash, discarded cans, bottles, and other containers that can contain enough water to allow mosquitoes to breed.
If you plan to spend time in an area where ticks are common (even your back yard), wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be spotted and removed before they attach. When hiking on trails, stay in the center of the trail to avoid picking up ticks from bushes and brush. When you return, check your clothing and body for ticks. Check your pet before allowing it indoors.
If a tick has attached itself to you or your pet, grasp it firmly with tweezers close to the tick's mouth and pull steadily. Cleanse the area of the tick bite thoroughly with antiseptic. Watch the area closely for a couple of weeks for signs of rash or swelling.

Using animal-control to prevent infections

Controlling the population of mice or rats in and near your home can help you avoid pathogens spread by rodents and also help control the population of ticks that spread disease. Rodents can harbor a number of pathogens, including lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, leptospirosis, plague, and hantavirus. Other wild animals can also transmit rabies and other infections. The following measures can help you avoid getting sick from diseases transmitted by animals:

Keep food and garbage in covered, rodent-proof containers.
Seal holes and cracks in your home to deter rodent access.
Clear brush and junk away from the foundation of your home.
Do not stir up dust in rodent-infested areas. Instead, wet-mop or sponge the area and treat with disinfectant.
When outdoors, do not disturb rodent burrows or handle rodents.
If your rodent problem is severe or persistent, consult a pest control expert.
Stay clear of wild animals. Many wild animals, including raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes, can spread rabies to humans by biting. Keep your pets away from wild animals, too. Dogs, cats, or any other type of warm-blooded animal can pick up rabies from wild animals and pass rabies along to people.

By Beverly MerzExecutive Editor,Harvard Women's Health Watch

Image: marieclaudelemay/Getty Images

Reducing the Spread of Illness in Child Care

Whenever children are together, there is a chance of spreading infections. This is especially true among infants and toddlers who are likely to use their hands to wipe their noses or rub their eyes and then handle toys or touch other children. These children then touch their noses and rub their eyes so the virus goes from the nose or eyes of one child by way of hands or toys to the next child who then rubs his own eyes or nose. And children get sick a lot in the first several years of life as their bodies are building immunity to infections.

In many child care facilities, the staff simply cannot care for a sick child due to space or staff limitations, although in others, the child can be kept comfortable and allowed to rest as needed in a separate area of the room where they have already exposed the other children. When waiting to be picked up, an ill child who is being excluded should be in a location when no contact occurs with those who have not already been exposed to their infection. Often, it is best for the child not to be moved to another space to prevent their illness from spreading throughout the facility and to maintain good supervision of the child. In some programs, a staff member who knows the child well and who is trained to care for ill children may care for the child to a space set aside for such care and where others will not be exposed. If the child requires minimal care for a condition that doesn't require exclusion, there may a place for the child to lie down while remaining within sight of a staff member when the child needs to rest. In some communities, special sick child care centers have been established for children with mild illnesses who cannot participate or need more care than the staff can provide in the child's usual care setting.

Even with all these prevention measures, it is likely that some infections will be spread in the child care center. For many of these infections, a child is contagious a day or more before he has symptoms. Be sure to wash your and your child's hands frequently. You never know when your child or another child is passing a virus or bacteria. Sometimes your child will become sick while at child care and need to go home. You will need to have a plan so someone can pick themup.

Fortunately, not all illnesses are contagious (like ear infections). In these cases, there's no need to separate your sick child from the other children. Most medications can be scheduled to be given only at home. If your child needs medication during the day, be sure that the facility has clear procedures and staff who have training to give medication. Ask what they do to be sure they have the right child, receiving the right medication, at the right time, by the right route and in the right dose-and document each dose.

Measures to Promote Good Hygiene in Child Care:

To reduce the risk of disease in child care settings as well as schools, the facility should meet certain criteria that promote good hygiene.

Are there sinks in every room, and are there separate sinks for preparing food and washing hands? Is food handled in areas separate from the toilets and diaper-changing tables?
Are the toilets and sinks clean and readily available for the children and staff? Are disposable paper towels used so each child will use only his own towel and not share with others?
Are toys that infants and toddlers put in their mouths sanitized before others can play with them?
Are all doors and cabinet handles, drinking fountains, all surfaces in the toileting and diapering areas cleaned and disinfected at the end of every day?
Are all changing tables and any potty chairs cleaned and disinfected after each use?

Are staff and other children fully immunized, especially against the flu?

Is food brought in from home properly stored? Is food prepared on site properly handled?
Is breast milk labeled and stored correctly?
Are children and their caregivers or teachers instructed to wash their hands throughout the day, including:

When they arrive at the facility
Before and after handling food, feeding a child, or eating
After using the toilet, changing a diaper, or helping a child use the bathroom (Following a diaper change, the caregiver's and child's hands should be washed and the diaper-changing surfaces should be disinfected.)
After helping a child wipe his nose or mouth or tending to a cut or sore
After playing in sandboxes
Before and after playing in water that is used by other children
Before and after staff members give medicine to a child
After handling wastebaskets or garbage
After handling a pet or other animal

Make sure your own child understands good hygiene and the importance of hand washing after using the toilet and before and after eating.
Is health consultation available to deal with outbreaks or to review policies?