JEDDAH, 12 March 2008 — Infection control at health care centers was an issue that Dr. Sulafa Qutub, head of the Infection Control and Medical Waste Disposal Unit, has been keen on bringing to the attention of the public.
Qutub and members of the health sector have prepared an Arabic manual explaining policies and regulations that must be followed to prevent infections. The manual, the result of nine months of work and research, will soon be distributed to health workers and members of the public.
“People have to know that we are working on raising awareness. We don’t want them to panic,” said Qutub.
Controlling infections was also the focus of a two-day seminar that took place in Jeddah last week, targeting over 50 nurses at health care centers in Jeddah, Rabigh, Al-Laith and Qunfudha, and representatives of the Infection Control and Medical Waste Disposal Unit.
Qutub said that preventive measures should come before infections spread. She added that it was important that those who attended the seminar convey its message to other health workers, who did not attend.
“We learn measures to prevent infections at medical and nursing school but they are unfortunately not adhered to. This issue is important and needs following up and monitoring,” she said.
To avoid infections, health workers need to sterilize their hands and medical equipment, and properly dispose of equipment. Health workers are more exposed to infections than other people due to them being in direct contact with patients.
“They are recommended to take hepatitis B vaccinations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in addition to influenza vaccinations between September and April,” she said.
