Ensure robust ‘black fungus’ prevention, control in Covid hospitals: Centre
New Delhi| Taking a note of the secondary and opportunistic fungal infections which are getting amplified due to the present surge in Covid cases and mucormycosis, or ‘black fungus’, becoming a cause of concern, the Union Health Ministry has advised all states and Union Territories to review their preparedness for infection prevention and control, as well as hygiene and sanitation in hospitals.
In a letter to Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has urged them to undertake activities and practices to ensure that there are robust infection prevention and control practices in Covid hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
He advised establishment or activation of the Hospital Infection Control Committee with the head of the institution or an administrator as the chairperson, and designating an infection prevention and control nodal officer – preferably a microbiologist or senior infection control nurse.
“Prepare and implement the Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Programme in the hospital/health facilities, as per the guidance given in National Guidelines for Infection and Control in Healthcare Facilities,” he said.
The Centre emphasised on strengthening procedures and practices for IPC in the context of Covid-19, and standard precautions to be applied all across the hospital/health facilities.
Transmission-based precautions need heightened focus on droplet, airborne and contact precautions from the perspective of protecting healthcare workers and ensuring patient safety, it said.
To improve the environment, it said: “Ventilation with focus on fresh air and natural ventilation wherever control systems with requisite air changes are not available. Cleaning, disinfection and sanitation of the hospital environment and frequently touched surfaces with recommended disinfectants like one per cent sodium hypochlorite or 70 per cent alcohol.”
The letter urged infection prevention and control practices to be enhanced in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) using a bundle approach to prevent device-associated infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia or catheter-associated blood stream, urinary infections etc.
Also stressing that infection prevention and control practices in the clinical laboratories and those attached to hospitals are very crucial for the safety of laboratory/hospital staff and health security of the community, it asked states and UTs to adhere to these while managing immunocompromised patients such as Covid-19 patients on steroid treatment, with co-morbidities (such as diabetes where good glycemic control needs to be established.
By IANS
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