Personal Protective Equipment
- Glossary of Terms
- Airborne transmission: A
means of spreading infection when airborne droplet nuclei (small particle
residue of evaporated droplets ≤5 μm in size containing microorganisms that
remain suspended in air for long periods of time) are inhaled by the
susceptible host.
- Contact precautions:
Measures used to prevent and control infections that spread via direct contact
with the patient or indirectly from the patient’s immediate care environment
(including care equipment).
- Droplet transmission:
The spread of infection from one individual to another by droplets containing
infectious agents.
- Outbreak: When there are more disease cases
than what is usually expected for a given time, within a specific location, for
a target population.
- Pathogen: A pathogen is any organism
that causes disease. This includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
Pathogens are also known as infectious agents because they can cause infections
in their hosts.