Influenza Prevention in Nursing Homes

This assignment focuses on developing strategies to prevent the spread of influenza within a nursing home setting. It emphasizes the importance of isolating infected individuals like Mr. Abeo to minimize transmission risk. The essay highlights standard precautions, including hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and environmental disinfection, as crucial for controlling influenza outbreaks in healthcare facilities.

INFLUEZA

INFLUENZA
Influenza is an infectious disease commonly caused due to presence of virus in the body.
Since, it is a communicable disease it become important for the individual affected by the virus
to be away from other people so that its spread can be barricaded (Torii and et.al., 2016). The
essay discusses the case of an individual named Mr. Abeo Okafor who is 88 years old individual
and showing the symptoms of influenza. The essay makes a comprehensive discussion of
various causes of influenza. Moreover, it will discuss that influenza can spread through various
ways such as, sneeze, cough etc. It is also important to make adequate changes in nursing home
set up so that other people do not get affected by it. These methods will also be briefly discussed
in the essay.
Influenza is commonly called as ‘flu’ which comes under the periphery of infectious disease which is
caused by influenza virus. The common symptoms of influenza include, high fever, sore throat, runny
nose, headache, muscle pain, tiredness and coughing. These symptoms are commonly reflected by the
body after 2 days of coming in contact with the infectious virus (Dobson and et.al., 2015). It generally
last for almost a week in mild cases. Nausea and vomiting are other common symptoms that are
majorly found in children and elderly people suffering from influenza. However, the same is not
common in adults. In severe cases, certain complications are attached to influenza, which
includes, sinus infection, worsening asthma, bacterial pneumonia and heart failure. Basically,
there are three types of influenza. These are, Type A, Type B and Type C (Chen and et.al.,
2014). It usually spreads through the air from sneezes and coughs. The risk of influenza is higher
over relatively short distances. Touching the surfaces already contaminated through the virus and
then touching hands and mouth increase its occurrence in people. It is then inhaled in the lungs
which causes infection. Large particles respiratory droplet transmission where the person gets
infected through close contact when these droplets travel through the air. Airborne transmission
is difficult to take place over long distances. However, in this case, other mode of transmission is
rather more affective. In case of elderly people, the risk and impact of influenza is comparatively
higher in comparison to children and adults. Further, the presence of chronic disease is higher
which more likely to develop the issue of influenza. There are certain common symptoms that
are related to the disease and can be serious complications for elderly people (Impagliazzo and
et.al., 2015). These are, difficulty in breathing, shaking, chills, chest pain, coughing with thick
greenish yellow mucous and high fever. The complications can worsen the conditions of the
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patient if the patient is already suffering from heart disease, asthma, diabetes, COPD and
emphysema. Extreme cases of influenza condition can lead the patient to sinusitis, bronchitis,
dehydration, ear infection, encephalitis and death.
In order to avoid this incidence, people are advised to stay away from the virus carrier
individual. Further, it is advised to frequently wash hands after touching any surface which may
or may not be infected. Wearing surgical masks have also proved to be an effective technique.
World health organization have also come up with the vaccination of influenza. In that case,
yearly infection against the disease can help in reducing the risk of its incidence (Lam and et.al.,
2015).
The present case of Mr. Abeo Okafor who is 88 years old elderly individual who seems to
have come in the contact of flu. He is a permanent resident of Ruby Gardens Nursing Home and
he is experiencing worsening symptoms of flu. He is facing constant coughing, lack of energy
and appetite loss. The doctors have diagnosed influenza with chest infection. He has been
dwelling in this condition since last one month. When large number of patients are kept in a
nursing care setting, it becomes important for the healthcare managers to take care that infection
does not spread to all. Centres of Disease Control and Prevention have stated that chronic
condition of influenza in elderly people can lead the individual to death (Demicheli and et.al.,
2014). Since, the immunity storage and stamina to fight with antibody is quite low among elderly
people, complication and illness is maximum. Hence, it is recommended to nursing care setting
in the primary way that vaccine must be given to the people residing in it. It will help in
decreasing the incidence of influenza to its residents. People above the age of 65 are at higher
risk of influenza and hence residents of nursing home setting are at higher risk of exposure. It has
been seen that vaccination decrease the chances of influenza by 50% (Influenza in the Nursing
Home, 2012). Moreover, studies have suggested that nursing home with vaccinated patients have
lower influenza patient in comparison to the one to whom vaccine was not given in the nursing
home set up. Since, influenza is a communicable disease, engaging in step of prevention become
an important aspect for a health care setup. Furthermore, nursing homes should keep the infected
patients away from the uninfected one and nurses must also be divided accordingly. It helps in
controlling the spread and movement of virus from one individual to another (Prevention
Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings, 2018).
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The risk of influenza is higher in case of elders. It can be primarily identified with the sign
and symptoms being possessed by an individual. All the secretions from the body of an
infectious patient is considered to be infectious. However, the risk may very as per the intensity
of the disease. It includes, respiratory secretions and body fluids including diarrheal stools.
Multi-faceted approach is required to control the transmission of this virus infected by influenza
in a health care setting (Poen and et.al., 2017). The virus may spread to visitors, care takers,
health care professionals and other patients being admitted in the nursing home. hence, it is
important for the management of a nursing home to take adequate steps that can prevent its
occurrence in other people as well. First is, administration of influenza vaccine, where
vaccination is required to be given to each and every patient who has been admitted in the
nursing home. Second is, implementation of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette so that other
people do not come in its contact. Third is, managing the ill health care professional. Since, the
immunity of the patients with this disease is quite low. In that case, they must be kept separate
from the uninfected people in the nursing home. Fourth is, taking all infection control
precautions in lieu of patient care activities and other aerosol generating procedures. Fifth is,
implementation of all engineering and environmental infection control measures. Minimal
exposure to infection can help in controlling the disease to the maximum (Treanor, 2014).
Successful implementation of these measures can be considered as a comprehensive infection
prevention program which can help the health care setting to keep the patients, doctors and
visitors, away from infection.
Considering the case of Mr. Abeo Okafor, her daughter and her grandchildren visits her
every week. There can be the scenario, that the carrier of infection can be those individuals who
comes to meet him. Further, the infection can be caught through communication in the nursing
home set up only in which he is living. Since, he is 88-year-old and he is dwelling in this
situation since last a month, in that case, the chances of getting chronic infectious disease is
higher. The duration of infection in the body has developed chest infection in him. In that case,
adequate amount of care from the side of health care professionals and nurses is required.
Healthcare setting has to take certain steps when the intensity of infection is higher in some
individual. In that scenario, entry in the room of the patient is only given after wearing a face
mask (Krammer and Palese, 2015). Moreover, visitors are not allowed for the time being so that
infection can be brought under control. Posting visual alerts at the entrances and outside the
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waiting rooms can help in controlling spread of the disease. Health care professionals and other
people who are coming in direct contact with the patients has to adhere to standard precautions.
It includes, hand hygiene, gowns, medicated gloves, etc. Taking all these steps for Mr. Abeo
Okafor can help in keeping him safe from other infection. Moreover, implementation of these
steps is important for the other people so that they do not come in direct contact with influenza
(Ciancanelli and et.al., 2015).
From the above essay, it can be concluded that, Mr. Abeo must be kept away from other
patients so that the incidence of influenza can be reduced to minimum in other patients. Further,
the essay stated that influenza usually spreads through the air from sneezes and coughs. Its risk is
higher over relatively short distances. Further, it also stated that adequate amount of changes is
required to be made in nursing home set up. Certain precautious measures include, adhere to
standard precautions. It includes, hand hygiene, gowns, medicated gloves, etc.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
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influenza A H10N8 virus infection: a descriptive study. The Lancet. 383(9918). 714-
721.
Ciancanelli, M. J. & et.al. (2015). Life-threatening influenza and impaired interferon
amplification in human IRF7 deficiency. Science. 348(6233). 448-453.
Demicheli, V. & et.al. (2014). Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults. The
Cochrane Library.
Dobson, J. & et.al. (2015). Oseltamivir treatment for influenza in adults: a meta-analysis of
randomised controlled trials. The Lancet. 385(9979). 1729-1737.
Impagliazzo, A. & et.al. (2015). A stable trimeric influenza hemagglutinin stem as a broadly
protective immunogen. Science, aac7263.
Krammer, F., & Palese, P. (2015). Advances in the development of influenza virus
vaccines. Nature reviews Drug discovery. 14(3). 167.
Lam, T. T. Y. & et.al. (2015). Dissemination, divergence and establishment of H7N9 influenza
viruses in China. Nature. 522(7554). 102.
Poen, M. J. & et.al. (2017). A43 Modeling the ecology and evolution of H13 and H16 avian
influenza A subtypes in black-headed gulls to understand influenza disease
dynamics. Virus evolution, 3(suppl_1).
Torii, Y. & et.al. (2016). Quantitative metabolome profiling reveals the involvement of the
kynurenine pathway in influenza-associated encephalopathy. Metabolomics. 12(5). 84.
Treanor, J. J., (2014). Influenza viruses. In Viral Infections of Humans (pp. 455-478). Springer,
Boston, MA.
Online
Influenza in the Nursing Home. (2012). [Online]. Available through <
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/0101/p75.html>.
Prevention Strategies for Seasonal Influenza in Healthcare Settings. (2018). [Online]. Available
through <
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/healthcaresettings.htm>.
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