Isolation & Quarantine
Measures in Response to a Smallpox Emergency
Standard
Precautions
Standard
precautions make up the major features of Universal Precautions
(Blood and Body Fluid Precautions – designed to reduce the
risk of transmission of bloodborne pathogens, and BSI – designed
to reduce the risk of transmission of pathogens from moist body
substances. These standard or “constant” precautions
should be applied to all patients receiving care in hospitals,
regardless of their diagnosis or presumed infection status. Standard
Precautions utilize gloves and handwashing following any contact
with:
- Blood
- All body
fluids, secretions, and excretions except sweat, regardless of
whether or not they contain visible blood
- Non-intact
skin
- Mucous membranes
Additional protection
should be utilized if splashes of body fluids are anticipated.
Standard Precautions are designed to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms
from both recognized and unrecognized sources of infection in hospitals. Standard
Precautions (gloves, handwashing, splash precautions) serve to prevent direct
contact during patient care and provides protection against other blood-borne
agents that may also be present (e.g. HIV, hepatitis,etc.).
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