Prevent Disease Transmission

Infection control measures typically play an important role in preventing disease transmission during respiratory outbreaks. While many of the following materials were developed for healthcare settings, some of these documents may contain guidance that can also be applied to other settings, such as schools or daycare facilities.  In addition, information on vaccine recommendations and use of antibacterial and antiviral medications can help determine control measures for respiratory disease outbreaks caused by pathogens for which these targeted interventions are available.

• Standards, practice guidelines, and statements developed and/or endorsed by IDSA
• Respiratory hygience and cough etiquette
• Infection control recommendations for hospital-associated infections
• State-based healthcare-associated infection prevention
• CDC recommendations on hand hygiene and Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings Guidelines
• Using antiviral agents to control influenza outbreaks in institutions
• Infection control in setting of SARS
• Interim infection prevention and control recommendations for hospitalized patients with MERS-CoV
• Interim guidance for infection control within healthcare settings for novel influenza A viruses
• Pertussis postexposure antimicrobial prophylaxis
• Vaccines and vaccine preventable diseases
  (Provides links to information on immunization to prevent influenza and pneumococcal infections among infants, children and adults)

Other Helpful References

• For zoonotic respiratory infections such as Q fever, anthrax, Chlamydia psittaci, Coxiella burnetti (Q fever): CDC. Compendium of Measures To Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings, 2005. MMWR. 2005;54(RR04):1-12.
• CDC. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2007 Prevention and Control of Influenza. MMWR. 2007;56(RR06):1-54.
• CDC. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome-United States: Updated Recommendations for Risk Reduction. MMWR. 2002;51(RR9):1-14.
• CDC. Guidelines for preventing health-care-associated pneumonia, 2003: recommendations of CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). MMWR. 2004; 53(RR3):1-179..
• CDC. Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-Care Settings, 2005. MMWR. 2005;54(RR17):1-141.
• CDC. Prevention of Plague: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR. 1996;45(RR14);1-15.