The best way of preventing infection within a school is to ensure everyone has received appropriate immunisations, while maintaining a clean environment and observing the highest possible standards of personal hygiene and practice in the following areas:
Hand washing
Hand washing is crucial for controlling the spread of infections, especially those resulting in diarrhoea, vomiting and respiratory disease. The recommended method is to use liquid soap and warm water, rubbing the hands all over and paying attention to frequently missed areas, such as around the thumb. Washed hands should be thoroughly dried with paper towels or a hand drier. Any cuts and abrasions should be covered with waterproof dressings.
Coughs and sneezes
A cough or sneeze can project germs over three feet; if those germs carry a cold virus, it can survive on a hard indoor surfaces for up to a week. Flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces for up 24 hours and for 15 minutes on a tissue. Always cover the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. In the case of norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, the germs in the vomit are projected in the same way as a sneeze, only further – 10ft to the front and 7ft to the side.
Personal protective equipment (ppe)
Disposable gloves and aprons should always be worn when changing pads or following contact with any bodily fluids. Appropriate PPE should also be used when handling cleaning chemicals and clearing up spillages of blood, faeces, saliva, vomit, nasal and eye discharges. When spillages occur, use a cleaning product that combines both a detergent and a disinfectant as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Clothing
Wear disposable gloves and aprons whenever handling soiled linen. Children’s soiled clothing should be bagged to go home and never rinsed by hand. Laundry should be dealt with in a separate dedicated facility. Soiled linen should be washed separately at the hottest wash the fabric will tolerate.
Pupil attendance
Children with rashes should be considered infectious until assessed by their doctor. Note that extra care should be taken if pregnant women are exposed to certain medical conditions which could harm the foetus – further details concerning this and other risks can be found in a poster summarising the Public Health Agency’s advice on containing infection within schools, which is downloadable as a PDF here.
Vulnerable children
Children with medical conditions that reduce immunity, including leukaemia and other forms of cancer, may be especially vulnerable to infections such as chickenpox, measles and parvovirus B19. In the event of exposure, parents/ carers should be notified immediately and further medical advice sought. It may be advisable for affected children to receive additional immunisations, such as pneumococcal and influenza.
Emma Hammett is a registered general nurse and the founder/CEO of the first aid training provider First Aid for Life.
First Aid for life provides this information for guidance, and it is not in any way a substitute for medical advice. First Aid for Life is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made, or actions taken based on this information.
