PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

So have you heard there is a new virus in town? I am sure you have. Truth be told it has got everyone in a frenzy.

What is causing the occurrence or recurrence of these new or relatively new infections?  Some of the reasons they are on the increase include resistance to treatment agents, globalization and increased animal and human interactions. Yes, we might discuss that on a later date. For basic information on coronavirus read the following https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019.

 Despite the progress made in healthcare globally, we still seem unable to quickly contain these infections. This is because we still lack greater than ninety percent compliance in the following areas.
1. Hand hygiene compliance.
2.Cough etiquette compliance.
3. Prevention of corrupt practices.
4. Knowledge transmission to the public and clinicians.

So let me elucidate, any disease-causing organism is transmitted through one of the following ways.

• Direct contact-  ie Human to Human, Animal to Human or Mother to the unborn child. Often these diseases are transmitted through contact with infected body fluids e.g when one coughs or sneezes, unprotected sexual contact, animal scratches, animal bites, etc
• Indirect contact- Through fomites such as when you touch a doorknob handled by someone ill with the flu or a cold.
• Insect bites -Some insects are a medium of disease transmission eg flies and others transmit diseases from one host to another for instance mosquitoes.
• Food contamination- Ingestion of improperly cooked food, fruits or contaminated water.

As the general public, how then do we help in containment of the emergent and reemerging infections?

• Practice effective hand hygiene.

Did you know that effective hand hygiene is actually the most effective way to curb most infections? The World Health Organization defines hand hygiene as any practice that relates to hand cleansing. As of now there are two main globally recognized ways of achieving this. They include the use of soap and water for visibly soiled hands and the use of hand sanitizers. 

Follow the link for more information https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144046/

For us, as health care workers a lot more details go into all this but for the community at large, it's basically important to practice hand hygiene as often as possible. The common instances to do so include.

1. Before, during, and after preparing food
2. Before eating food
3. Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
4. Before and after treating a cut or wound
5. After using the toilet
6. After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
7. After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
8. After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
9. After handling pet food or pet treats
10. After touching garbage

Follow the link for more information  on even how to
handwash.https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html.

• Cough etiquette/ Respiratory etiquette

Cough/respiratory etiquette are terms used to describe infection prevention measures to decrease the transmission of any disease transmitted through droplets for instance in the cases of flu. Always remember to:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Put your used tissue in a wastebasket.
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
• Perform hand hygiene after having contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials.

• Stopping corruption

 Some diseases are worsened by practices such as paying bribes for false documentation of vaccination, false documentation of treatment received for some conditions and sale of equipment that may be used for diagnosis of diseases and more commonly misuse of funds allocated to educating the public. Once we call out anyone noted to do the above, we then break the chain of corruption, therefore, making sure we are all safe.

In addition to complying to the above. Other ways of mitigating infections include.

• Proper preparation of food- Ensure that you eat properly cooked and stored food. You are at liberty to inquire about the certificate of health from your food provider. Follow the link to read the hotels and restaurants act in Kenya http://kenyalaw.org/kl/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/RepealedStatutes/HotelsandRestaurantsAct_Cap494_.pdf.
• Do not handle carcasses of livestock/ animals that have an unidentified cause of death. Call appropriate health personnel.
• Keep a travel diary of some sort highlighting where you traveled, timespan and occurrence of any illnesses. This makes it easier for health personnel.
• Being receptive to quarantine measures advised. for instance travel advisories issued, use of protective gears offered like masks when offered, etc
• Seek clarification - Always ask when information seems unclear and only visit reputable websites to avoid propaganda.

As I conclude let us aim to always play our expected roles tenaciously and diligently. At a personal level do not forget to