John R. Wooden said: “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” Wooden was a successful basketball coach but the sentiment of his wisdom can be applied to any application in life. We have heard and seen plenty of coverage in the news recently regarding Ebola, which raises the question of how it has been handled and mishandled in the United States. What are we prepared, or not prepared for, when we are the ones responsible for stopping the spread of communicable diseases?

Preventing the spread of disease and illness is something that should begin with each one of us; regardless of age, profession, and level of expertise or education. Personal accountability for universal precautions can help prevent infectious diseases from spreading. Since we are responsible for ourselves and the people we care for, it is necessary that we get in the habit of practicing proper precautions when exposed to someone else’s body fluids. Exposure to body fluids like blood, urine, feces, as well as vomit, or saliva, can happen in medical professions, but exposure can also happen in our homes, day care facilities, schools, and any other public place. By taking proper measures we can help prevent the spread of something as common as a cold, or as life threatening as Ebola.

Great Care has come up with a few ideas and things to consider when getting in the habit of avoiding the spread of infection. These tips apply to any of us, whether we’re parents, health care providers, or serving the public. Get in the habit of assuming everyone’s body fluids are infectious, yours included, don’t discriminate. Educate and encourage others to follow these tips when dealing with communicable disease.

• Wear disposable latex or vinyl gloves. In the medical field, caregivers are trained to wear gloves because of the risk of exposure to body fluids, this risk isn’t isolated. Health care for family may also come from those closest to them. Remember, we are all responsible for infectious control. When caring for family or loved ones, it is important to always wear gloves. Not only are we protecting ourselves from their germs, we are also protecting them, and their compromised health, from ours. Something as seemingly harmless as changing a bandage should be done with gloves on; wound care is an open lot for bacteria transfer.
• Cover cuts and open sores with a bandage. If you have a cut or sore on your hand, try water proof bandages or water proof tape, it will help hold your bandage in place during frequent hand washing.
• Discard infected materials properly. Seal soiled trash separately in a plastic bag. Be mindful of waste that you may not have given much thought to, for example: disposable glucose lancets that may be used several times during the course of one day. You can make your own sharps container by labeling a water bottle or empty medical prescription bottle that can be sealed with a lid, and discarded in a sealed plastic bag when it’s full.
• Wash your hands. Use tolerable hot water, and soap – and wash your hands well, and often. Children are taught to sing Happy Birthday while washing their hands. When they’re finished with the song, their hands are clean. At Great Care, we don’t think anyone will judge you if you want to sing, Mary Had A Little Lamb, or Last Dance with Mary Jane; just make sure you sing at least 20 seconds.