Pandemic Influenza Plan - Questar III

Section 4: Infection Control
• Personnel at high risk for complications of pandemic influenza (e.g., pregnant
women, immunocompromised persons) should be informed of their medical
risk and offered an alternate work assignment away from influenza-patient
care (e.g., care for patients on the well, non-exposed cohort).
• Closely monitor healthcare personnel with direct contact with influenza
patients for early identification of secondary transmission to contain local
spread. The following recommendations may be helpful to operationalize:
o Limit patient contact to essential staff.
o Eliminate or minimize floating
o Consider a daily sign in sheet for patient contact.
o Have staff complete a daily self-assessment to document symptoms. A
self evaluation tool can be utilized for this purpose. The tool should
provide guidance for symptomatic individuals (i.e., how, when and
whom to report symptoms to).
o Report symptoms consistent with pandemic influenza to designated
person.
• Administer vaccine to healthcare personnel when available. Refer to vaccine
section of the NYSDOH Pandemic Influenza Plan for prioritization of vaccine
for healthcare personnel.
• Administer antivirals for treatment of ill healthcare personnel and for
prophylaxis of exposed healthcare personnel as per the antiviral section of the
NYSDOH Pandemic Influenza Plan.
D. Occupational health for a local influenza pandemic
Maintain surveillance activities as above, plus the following:
• All personnel (direct patient care and non-direct patient care) should be
actively monitored daily for fever and respiratory symptoms. All those with
respiratory symptoms and/or fever > 100º F should be furloughed and
evaluated.
• Personnel who have recovered from pandemic influenza should develop
antibody against future infection with the same virus. Therefore, these
personnel should be prioritized for the care of patients with active pandemic
influenza. These personnel would also be appropriate to care for patients who
are at serious risk for complications of influenza.
• Regardless of a healthcare workers immune status to pandemic influenza, they
should adhere to infection control recommendations to prevent exposure to
themselves and transmission to other patients.
• If severe staffing shortages due to a pandemic necessitate staff to work while
ill, they should be:
o given antiviral treatment,
o instructed to wear a surgical mask, and
o assigned to the ill cohort.
February 7, 2006 4-9