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Safety Topic of the Month: May 2000
HAND-TRANSMITTED INFECTION
BACKGROUND
Hand-transmission is a critical factor in the spread of bacteria, pathogens, viruses that cause disease, foodborne illness and nosocomial infections (infections acquired while in healthcare and unrelated to the original condition). While everyone is vulnerable, over one-third of the population is at high risk, including the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems (including those with the common cold or a seasonal flu).
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Hospital Infections
In health care, nurses and doctors wash only 30% of the required time between patient contacts and procedures. Each year, an alarming 2,400,000+ nosocomial infections occur in the US alone. They are estimated to directly cause 30,000 deaths and contribute to another 70,000 deaths each year. Nosocomial infections cost over $2,300 per incident and $4.5 billion annually in extended care and treatment (Source: CDC). Health care workers, through patient contact, are a leading cause of transmission of nosocomial infection. In the case of Hepatitis B, health care workers are between 5 and 15 times more likely to contract the virus than the general US population (Association of Infection Control Professionals). According to
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