Infection prevention tips
Hand Hygiene - Most infections are spread by picking up germs on our hands.
When should I perform hand hygiene?
- Before you eat
- Before & during food preparation, especially when handling meat, eggs, or poultry
- Before applying makeup
- Before handling contact lenses
- Before treating a cut or wound
- Before and after caring for someone who is ill
- After using the restroom
- After changing diapers
- After you sneeze or cough
- After touching animals and pets
- And anytime your hands are visibly dirty
How do I wash my hands well?
- Wet hands with water that is a comfortable temperature- Apply soap and rub hand together for at least 20 seconds
- Cover all surfaces, especially under nails, around rings, your thumbs, & around wrists
- Rinse hands well
- Dry your hands with a paper towel or clean cloth towel
- Use the towel to turn off the faucets
How do I use alcohol-based hand rubs?
- Apply a quarter-sized amount to one hand
- Rub your hands together until they are dry, making sure that you cover all surfaces of your hands (do not rinse your hands)
Cover your cough - Many respiratory diseases can be spread person-to-person by respiratory droplets.
Keep your immunizations up-to-date – Vaccines are not just for children!!
Take antibiotics correctly and only when necessary
A day after Newton County School System released information that a Newton High School teacher was in contact with someone traveling form Sierra Leone, the school’s absentee rate doubled Wednesday.
According to NCSS Director of Public Relations Sheri Davis-Viniard, 213 students were absent from NHS, or about 10 percent of the school’s enrollment of 2,142 students. The high school typically has a 5-6 percent absentee rate, Viniard said. All absences from NHS Wednesday were excused. Thursday, Newton High’s attendance policy will be enforced.
The system also sent home and posted on its website and Facebook page an information packet, which included a letter to parents and a tip sheet on infection prevention.
“The Georgia Department of Public Health has requested assistance form school districts in Georgia to help make the public aware that any person(s) who travels to the Ebola-affected African countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, will be considered “at-risk,” the letter said. “If you, your child or any member of your family has been exposed to an individual(s) who has travelled to or from Ebola-affected countries, please notify your child’s principal or school nurse immediately. Per board policy, before being allowed to return to school, your child(ren) will be required to have clearance from a medical provider stating that he/she is not ill.”
Newton High School students and staff received the information on the Ebola virus, due to concerns over a teacher’s spouse, according to a statement released Tuesday, returning from Sierra Leone Monday.
NCSS Director of Public Relations Sheri Davis-Viniard told The News that the NHS teacher’s room was sanitized as a precaution, and she will not be returning to the school until NCSS receives medical clearance that she is safe to be around students.
“All reports of this nature are taken very seriously, and we will continue to follow the guidance of the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the statement said. “We have initiated the necessary safety measures to protect our students and school community.”
