Healthcare professionals across the U.S. braced for a triple threat this winter. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) rates among children skyrocketed in the fall, a majority of the country experienced high to very high rates of influenza infection, and XBB.1.5 became the dominant Covid subvariant. But as RSV cases subside and flu and COVID cases trend downward, healthcare workers still need to remain proactive in protecting themselves and their patients.
Rosemarie Aznavorian, Vice President of Client Services and Chief Clinical Officer for MedPro Healthcare Staffing, encourages nurses and allied health workers to utilize PPE. “As a frontline worker in the healthcare sector, your safety is vital when treating patients. Regular use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial to reducing sickness and the risk of infecting others.”
Personal Protective Equipment
PPE includes clothing, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks, respirators, and other equipment to protect frontline workers from injury, infection, or illness. When properly used, PPE acts as a barrier to block the transmission of infectious materials from blood, body fluids, or respiratory secretions to your skin, mouth, nose, and eyes. “Hand hygiene and PPE are the most potent weapons to prevent and control infections, including against the ‘triple threat’ of RSV, COVID, and RSV,” said Aznavorian.
Reduce Transmission
Several common measures can be taken to reduce the transmission of viral respiratory pathogens in the healthcare setting:
- Hand hygiene
- Respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette
- Standard precautions
- Restrict ill personnel from caring for patients at high risk for complications from infection
- Proper and regular use of PPE
Additionally, vaccination can help keep cases at bay. The CDC conducts annual studies on the effectiveness of flu vaccines, and their most recent studies show the vaccine reduces the risk of flu by 40 to 60 percent in the total population. Current flu vaccines work better against influenza B and influenza A(H1N1) and offer less protection against influenza (H3N2). Coronavirus vaccines have been a significant factor in mitigating outbreaks by reducing incidences, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S., according to the 2021 study “The impact of vaccination on COVID-19 outbreaks in the United States.”
By utilizing their resources, healthcare professionals can help keep patients safe and stop the spread of the flu, RSV, and COVID-19.
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