In the case of the hospitalisation of a large number of patients « the risk of transmitting the virus inside the hospital will rapidly increase . Each infected person contaminates two or three others» explains Philippe Vanhems, epidemiologist at Lyon Hospital (Hospices Civils de Lyon), France.
Dr Vanhems lead an experiment last June at Nice, during a conference of the French Society for Hospital Hygiene. 400 out of the 1200 participants had been provided with badges with the objective of measuring the speed of an epidemic contamination. The experiment revealed that within two days, 15 000 contacts had been established, initially contaminating 3 to 6 persons and eventually 12.
According to Dr Vanhems, stopping the contamination as it starts is crucial. The public becomes a vital partner in this fight against the propagation of infection inside a hospital: if visitors disinfect their hands properly while entering or leaving a hospital or any health center, they will help establish a real barrier against the flu or any other hospital infection (think of C.difficle, SARM etc).The flu may be caught inside a hospital setting when transmitted by the staff. It then becomes a hospital -acquired -infection with the known risks for fragile individuals.
By disinfecting our hands, we not only protect ourselves but also other people around us.
Source: Le Progrés.fr, 22-09-09
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