Staying Healthy in Child Care - National Health and Medical ...

How infections spread
There are four steps to the spread of infections
1. The person with the infection spreads the germ into their environment.
2. The germ must survive in the appropriate environment e.g. air, food, water, on
objects and surfaces.
3. The germ is then passed to another person.
4. The next person becomes infected.
1. The person who has the infection
This child or adult may or may not show any signs of illness. They may be infectious
before they become unwell, during their illness, after they have recovered, or without any
signs of illness at all.
For example, in cases of diarrhoea due to Giardia, children and staff who no longer have
diarrhoea may still have infectious Giardia in their bowel motions. For this reason, the
infection control process must always be followed by all people in the child care centre.
2. The germ must survive in the environment
Infectious illnesses may be due to viruses, bacteria, protozoa or fungi. All of these
organisms are too small to see with the naked eye. These germs can survive on hands and
objects, for example toys, door handles and bench tops. The length of time a germ may
survive on a surface depends on the germ itself, the type of surface it has contaminated
and how often the surface is cleaned. Washing with detergent and water is a very
effective way of removing germs.
3. The germ is then passed to another person
Germs can be transmitted in a number of ways, including through the air by droplets;
through contact with faeces and then contact with mouths; through direct contact with
skin; and through contact with other body secretions (such as urine, saliva, discharges or
blood).
Airborne droplets from nose and throat
Some infections are spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs out tiny airborne
droplets. The droplets in the air may be breathed in directly by another person, or
indirectly enter another person through contact with surfaces and hands with the droplets
on them 1 .
Examples…
• Chickenpox • Mumps
• Common cold • Streptococcal sore throat
• Diphtheria • Heamophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Influenza • Measles
• Whooping cough (Pertussis) • Tuberculosis
• Pneumococcal disease • Rubella
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