Infectious diseases - Pediatric: Nursing

A communicable disease is an infection that spreads from person-to-person. These diseases can be transmitted through the air, respiratory droplets, or physical contact with a contaminated surface. Pediatric patients are more likely to contract communicable diseases because of their immature immune systems and lack of understanding of infection control.

Now, some communicable diseases, like measles, influenza, rotavirus, and varicella have vaccines available to help prevent their spread; while other diseases, like scarlet fever and fifth disease, do not. Vaccines, along with infection control measures, like hand washing and personal protective equipment, or PPE, can help limit the spread of common communicable diseases.

Okay, so, immunity can be acquired actively or passively. Active immunity happens when a person makes their own antibodies, like after recovering from a disease, like fifth disease, or is given a vaccination, like a flu shot for influenza. Now, vaccines use a weakened or inactivated version of a pathogen and the body’s natural defenses to strengthen the immune system against that pathogen. This can help prevent a disease, and may limit its spread, if a person encounters the pathogen in the future.

On the other hand, passive immunity occurs when a person receives the antibodies needed to fight the disease, like when a fetus receives IgG antibodies through the placenta, or when a newborn exposed to the hepatitis B virus is given immune globulin.

Alright, now along with vaccines, infection control measures also limit the spread of communicable diseases.

Standard, or routine, precautions are broad protocols used to prevent infection when caring for all patients and involve hand hygiene by either washing with soap and water or alcohol-based disinfectants; and preventing contact with infectious agents using PPE, like gloves, gowns, masks, or face shields.

On the other hand, transmission-based precautions are based on the specific method of a disease’s transmission and are used alongside standard precautions. Transmission-based precautions include contact, droplet, and airborne precautions.

First, contact precautions should be used with diseases that can be transferred from a surface like an infected person’s hand or doorknob, to another person. An example of this is rotavirus, which is transmitted by fecal-oral contact and causes severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Contact precautions typically require a gown and gloves to be worn during contact with patients or their environment.