Norovirus Essay

Pathogens are everywhere. They are in people, animals, and the environment. Pathogens come in a wide variety. The types are fungal, bacterial, viral, and other parasites. All pathogens can be dangerous, but two of them are more dangerous. These two types that more dangerous are fungal and bacterial. While both fungal and bacterial pathogens cause illness, they differ in the way they are transmitted, the way they are treated, and the diseases they cause.

As we know, older residents are susceptible to infections because of multi-morbidity, greater severity of illness, functional impairment, cognitive impairment, incontinence, and the presence of frequent short-term and long-term indwelling device use such as urinary catheters and feeding tubes. For infection prevention control program, an effective infection prevention program includes a method of surveillance for infections and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, an outbreak control plan for epidemics, isolation and standard precautions, hand hygiene, staff education, an employee health program, a resident health program, policy formation and periodic review with audits, and a policy

In addition, risk assessments should be undertaken for example; each person who has a catheter; PEG feed; pressure sore; or other factor which makes them more susceptible to the risk of infection. Ultimately anyone within the home who can cause infection are subject to risk assessment under the COSHH Regulations and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1992. It is important that infected residents are isolated and infected staff excluded from work, until 48 hours after the symptoms have settled. Management of cases should be planned following a risk assessment, which should consider continence, personal hygiene, overall health, likelihood of physical contact with other residents or their food, the facilities available and the vulnerability of other residents. The local HPU can advise on this process. Infected residents should, if possible, have sole use of a designated toilet or commode as long as their symptoms persist. In the case of a likely norovirus infection, they should keep a designated toilet facility for 48 hours after their symptoms have settled.

To increase patient and hcw safety, health care workers should be mandate to get vaccination. Hcw are more at risk to get infection because of their contact with patient and then to spread it to patients, specially patients who are susceptible to the infection (CITATION). Influenza symptoms appears within 1-4 days. Before even hcw workes know that they have influenza infection and they are contagious, they may spread the infection to patient . Also, if hcw are infected, it will cause impact on their mental and physical functioning. Two randomly conducted studies have supported that mandatory influenza vaccination for hcw helped in decreasing death rate upto 44% in nursing home residents (Ottenberg, 2011). Potter et. al. identified that because of increased staff vaccination mortality rate reduced from 17% to 10% (Suillivan, 2010). The other fact which can effect patient safety due to low rate of vaccination is absenteeism of hcw during influenza epidemic.

Food handling is one of the major ways that bacteria is spread but it will not spread if you follow the correct procedure no matter where a care home, hospital when you are handling food you need to make sure that you are carrying out the correct procedure of food handling. Following the correct procedures when handling food can help eliminate the risk of infection in any health care setting. For example a refrigerator you have to have it at the correct temperature which is the ideal refrigerator temperature is 35° F (1.6° C). You're not hugging the danger zone like you would be at 40° F (4.4° C), and you're distancing yourself sufficiently from 32° F (0° C) that you don't freeze half the stuff in your refrigerator. The reason for this is because bacteria needs warmth to grown on the colder and lower the temperature the slower the germs will grown but even so the cold temperature still does not stop the germs growing altogether.

The outbreak started on January 11th when almost 550 people became sick. 542 of the report people who became sick ate from El Toro in Tacoma. The other 22 people were infected from chain restaurants near by. These people have gotten sick from a WA-area norovirus with the Tacoma area. Residents of separate households began to send reports to the health department of possible food poisoning on January 5. All of these residents have recently eaten at the Tacoma restaurant. Everyone who has come forward has been treated. There is no incite if anyone have died.

Infection control practices and procedures should be followed at all times to control infections and prevent them from spreading. Most infection control policies include: wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment for each situation, carrying out risk assessment to reduce risk of exposure to infections for all individuals, disposing of waste properly, and hand hygiene before and after any physical contact. By following these policies in residential care settings, residents are less likely to contract an

The Norwalk virus is part of a group called the Noroviruses and caliciruses. It is known to cause gastroenteritis, infection within food, food poisoning, and even the short lived nonbacterial gastroenteritis. It can spread from contaminated water and infected foods. It can even spread anywhere, even on a cruise ship. A pleasant vacation may have some passengers choosing to jump ship, if the Norwalk virus is a passenger on board.

This essay is about Norwalk virus. How to prevent it and what to do if you recieve this illness. This essat also informs you on the history and recent outbreaks. How to avoid the illness and how it is transmitted are told in this illness. Death is also a topic in this essay and how many people die from norwalk virus annually.

Norwalk virus is a spherical single-stranded RNA virus. This virus is alive and can stay on objects and surfaces and still infect people for days or weeks. It can survive some disinfectants which makes it even harder to get rid of. Anyone can get Norwalk virus. Each year, norovirus causes 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths, mostly in young children and the elderly. This virus causes

For approximately three-thousand years, smallpox has ravaged and plagued the four corners of the globe. In fact, in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, it was claimed to be the most infectious disease in the West, with an astounding 90% mortality rate in America. It wasn't until 1796, with English surgeon Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination, that the world saw relief from this devastating virus. However, even with this inoculation in use, the world continued to witness death from both the virus and the vaccine. In the year 1966, it was estimated that 10-15 million infected citizens world wide had passed away from smallpox that year alone ( “History” 12). As a result of these devastating numbers, in the following year, 1967, the World Health

Many people are affected each year by what is usually misdiagnosed as the “stomach flu”. The official medical term for this illness is Norovirus, but is also known as Norwalk Virus. It was first seen in 1968 at Bronson Elementary School in Norwalk, Ohio. The first outbreak occurred at the elementary school, infecting 116 of the 223 students and teachers. Norovirus is a contagious virus that can lead to an infection called acute gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, which results in diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. In the United States alone, 19-21 million cases, 56,000-71,000 hospitalizations, and 570-800 deaths are reported each year (CDC).

Noroviruses are the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans, and affect people of all ages. Norovirus infection is characterised by nausea, forceful vomiting, watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and in some cases, loss of taste. General lethargy, weakness, muscle aches, headache, and low-grade fever may occur. The disease is usually self-limiting,

Nosocomial infections refers to infections acquired during hospitalization, with symptoms usually occurring within forty-eight hours after admission.

An invisible organism enters your body. It penetrates into your tissues and then takes over the machinery in your own cells to make more copies of itself. This tiny infiltrator works silently, producing thousands of these clones that fill up the cell and cause it to explode. The clones mercilessly continue the process of invading, taking over and destroying cells. The result might be a minor inconvenience to you as the host, or it could result in a slow or rapid death. It depends only on which variant of this unwanted infiltrator overcomes your body’s defenses. There are cures to wipe out some types of these invisible intruders, but others are so difficult to eradicate or so readily adaptable, that the world’s greatest scientists