Communicable Disease
Temple College
EMS Professions
Infectious Disease
Produced
by invasion of body by
 Bacteria
 Viruses
 Fungi
 Other
organisms
Communicable Disease
Infectious
disease
Transmissible from one infected
organism to another
Transmitted by:
Direct
contact
Indirect contact
Airborne transmission
Vehicle transmission (food,
water, needles)
Vector transmission (organisms)
Prevention
Maintain
good personal health
status
Regular physical exams
Prevention
Immunizations
for:
 Tetanus/diphtheria
 Hepatitis
B
 Measles, mumps, rubella
TB
skin test at least annually
Prevention
Consider
immunizations for:
 Influenza
 Hepatitis A
 Chicken pox
Prevention
 Wash
hands following patient
contacts
 Wear gloves when contact with
human body fluids is anticipated
 Wear face mask if patient has
productive cough (or put mask on
patient)
Prevention
Avoid
needle stick (Do NOT
recap needles)
Clean up blood spills quickly
using bleach solution
Use disposable equipment
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Bacterial
infection
(Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
Transmitted by droplets
Pulmonary TB - cough, infected
sputum, hemoptysis, pleuritic
pain)
Tuberculosis
Pulmonary
TB Signs/Symptoms
 Cough
 Infected
sputum
 Hemoptysis
 Pleuritic pain
Tuberculosis
Very
low communicability,
requires repeated exposure
Mask patients with active TB
Routine skin tests; follow-up on
positive reactors
Viral Hepatitis
Hepatitis A
Fecal-oral
contact
Children, young adults
Most infections subclinical or
very mild
Does not cause chronic liver
disease or carrier state
Hepatitis B
Parenteral
transmission (blood,
dirty needles)
Sexual transmission
Can cause liver failure, necrotic
cirrhosis
Can cause carrier state
Viral Hepatitis
 Signs/Symptoms
Anorexia
 Malaise
 Nausea, vomiting
 Fever
 Joint pain
 Dark urine, jaundice

Viral Hepatitis
Vaccine,
immune serum globulin
available for both A and B
Meningitis
Meningitis
 Inflammation
of membranes
covering brain, spinal cord
 Bacteria, viruses, fungi
 Bacterial forms most serious
Bacterial Meningitis
 Signs/Symptoms
Headache
 Nausea
 Fever
 Stiff neck

 Rapid
progression to delirium,
coma, seizures
Bacterial Meningitis
Neissera
meningitidis
 Petechiae
 Ecchymosis
 Septic shock
Bacterial Meningitis
 Avoid
contact with oral secretions
 Not transmissible by breathing same
air as patient
 If close contact occurs, Rifampin
600mg bid  2d
HIV/AIDS
Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome (AIDS)
infection  Human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
 Damage to helper T cells suppresses
immune system
 Viral
AIDS
 Recurring
opportunistic infections
Pneumocystis carini pneumonia
 Kaposi’s sarcoma
 Candida albicans

HIV/AIDS
 Transmitted
by blood, semen, vaginal
secretions
 Contact with tears, saliva, sweat will not
cause infection
 Cannot be transmitted by casual contact
 Wash hands, wear gloves, needle
precautions