International Infection Prevention Week
The third week of October marks International Infection Prevention Week. This year's theme is “Celebrating the Fundamentals of Infection Prevention”, emphasising the everyday contributions of Australians to prevent infection.
International Infection Prevention Week is a timely reminder to thank the hundreds of thousands of health and aged care workers who are on the frontlines combatting infectious diseases.
Infectious diseases and are responsible for both health and economic burden in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that 5,800 Australians die from infectious and communicable diseases each year.[1] And the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality on Healthcare has calculated the combined economic impact of Healthcare-associated infections in Australia could be above $1 billion per year[2].
In line with the theme of “Celebrating the Fundamentals of Infection Prevention” the Infection Prevention Network is reminding our community of three key actions they can take to help reduce the risk of infection in the home, workplace, and places of care.
1. Cleaning hands regularly is essential in preventing infections. Hand hygiene remains one of the most effective ways for patients and clinicians to control infectious agent spread. The World Health Organisation notes that “appropriate hand hygiene prevents up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during health care delivery”. They also found that investment in hand hygiene is likely to return sixteen times the original investment.
2. Surface disinfection is a crucial tool in the fight against microbes. This applies not only to hospital settings but also to everyday lives. Viruses such as influenza can remain viable on hard, non-porous surfaces, such as glass, metal, and plastic, for up to 48 hours. When considering surface disinfection, it is critical to identify effective surface disinfectants. Some surface wipes have contact times (the time it takes to kill pathogens) more than 30 minutes, leading surface disinfectants have contact times under 1 minute.
3. Clean Air is a critical component to limiting airborne pathogens and is a key part of a well-rounded infection prevention approach. Airborne pathogens are a common cause of many respiratory conditions including COVID-19 and Flu and reducing their risk can be as easily as allowing airflow through open windows, or through augmented ventilation such as the use of an air purifier.
Expanding the National Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection to include other organisms would require additional resources, but the benefits would far outweigh the costs. Australia has a leadership role to play in infection prevention and control on a global scale, and expanding the collection is an essential step towards achieving this goal.
While the National Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia Data Collection has been a valuable tool, it is time for it to be expanded to include other organisms of concern. Expanding the collection would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the burden of healthcare-associated infections in Australia, allow for targeted prevention and control strategies, and have significant economic benefits. Australia has the opportunity to continue its leadership role in infection prevention and control on a global scale by expanding the collection.
Sources:[1] Infectious and communicable diseases - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au)
[2] Australian Commission on Safety and Quality on Healthcare. (2022) Healthcare associated infection detailed factsheet. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated/Healthcare-associated-infection-detailed-fact-sheet.pdf