You are a school nurse. Which action will you take to have the most impact on the incidence of infectious disease in the school?
A. Provide written information about infection control to all patients.
B. Ensure that students are immunized according to national guidelines.
C. Make soap and water readily available in the classrooms.
D. Teach students how to cover their mouths when coughing.
Correct Answer: B. Ensure that students are immunized according to national guidelines.
The incidence of once-common infectious diseases such as measles, chickenpox, and mumps has been most effectively reduced by immunization of all school-aged children. School immunization requirements exist to protect students and members of their community from serious vaccine-preventable diseases by ensuring high vaccination rates.
Option A: Relevant studies showed that implementation of health education for school students was conducive for students to consciously adopt healthy behaviors and lifestyle, eliminating or mitigating risk factors that affect the spread of infectious diseases, preventing infectious diseases, and promoting health and improving quality of life.
Option C: Soap and water are also helpful in reducing the incidence of infectious diseases at school. Alcohol-based antiseptics for hand hygiene are an appealing innovation because of their efficacy in reducing hand contamination and their ease of use, especially when sinks and supplies for hand washing are limited.
Option D: Recommended cough etiquette maneuvers did not block the release and dispersion of a variety of different diameter droplets to the surrounding environment. Droplets smaller than one-micron size dominate the total number of droplets leaked when practicing assessed maneuvers.