Preventing Infections

Preventing the spread of infections

York Region Public Health supports residents, health professionals and operators to prevent the spread of infections in our community and facilities such as hospitals, congregate living settings, long-term care and retirement homes, child care settings, personal service settings and more.

Understanding how infections spread

Microorganisms that cause disease can be found on surfaces, in food, water and even in body fluids like blood, urine, feces or mucous. However, there are ways to prevent these microorganisms from getting into our bodies and making us, and those around us, sick.

The chain of transmission

A chain with six broken links representing factors of infection transmission. The links are titled: Mode of Transmission, Portal of Entry, Susceptible Host, Infectious Agent, Reservoir, and Portal of Exit.

To understand how an infection spreads, think of a circular chain. Each link in the chain represents a step in the infection process.  For an infection to spread, all links must be present. This is called the “chain of transmission”. If we remove one link (break the chain), the infection cannot spread. The goal of an effective infection prevention and control (IPAC) program is to break this chain and stop infections from spreading.

Ways to break the chain
Chain Link and FactorsBreaking the Chain

Mode of Transmission

  • Direct or indirect contact (e.g., hands, surfaces, equipment)
  • Droplet
  • Airborne 
  •  Hand hygiene
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Cleaning, disinfection, sterilization
  • Physical distancing and proper air flow

Portal of Entry

  • Inhalation
  • Eating and drinking
  • Broken skin
  • Mucus membrane (e.g., mouth, nose, eyes)
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Hand hygiene
  • Cleaning, disinfection, sterilization
  • Proper food handling

Susceptible Host

  • Elderly
  • Immunocompromised
  • Infants
  • Anyone not immune to infectious agent
  • Treatment or prophylaxis
  • Immunization
  • Healthy lifestyle

Infectious Agent

  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Parasites
  • Fungi 
  • Treatment

Reservoir

  • People
  • Animals
  • Food
  • Water
  • Soil
  • Surfaces and equipment
  • Proper food handling and water treatment
  • Cleaning, disinfection, sterilization

Portal of Exit

  • Blood and body fluids (e.g., cuts, wounds)
  • Excretions (e.g., vomit, faeces or urine)
  • Secretions (e.g., mucus, droplets or nasal secretion)

Hand hygiene

  • Safe waste and sharps disposal
  • Containment of excretions
  • Respiratory etiquette
  • Personal protective equipment

Mode of Transmission

  • Direct or indirect contact (e.g., hands, surfaces, equipment)
  • Droplet
  • Airborne 
  •  Hand hygiene
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Cleaning, disinfection, sterilization
  • Physical distancing and proper air flow
How to prevent infections
Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette

Hand hygiene, whether through washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of infections. Proper hand hygiene reduces disease-causing microorganisms on your hands, helping to break the chain of transmission.

You can also reduce the spread of infections by using proper respiratory etiquette. Instead of using your hands, cover your mouth with your sleeve or a tissue when coughing or sneezing.  Even though this helps to keep disease-causing microorganisms off your hands, it is still important to wash your hands afterwards.

Hand hygiene posters for community settings:

Preventing respiratory infections

Respiratory infections spread through droplets in the air when people cough or sneeze. If these droplets get into your eyes, nose or mouth, you can get sick. Microorganisms that cause respiratory infections can also live on surfaces for hours or days. If you touch these surfaces and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you might get infected.

Respiratory infections such as COVID-19, influenza (the flu) and rhinovirus (common cold) can result in mild to severe illness. Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of becoming very sick, as they may develop other illnesses such as pneumonia, and require hospitalization.

Typical symptoms of respiratory infections include:

  • Cough
  • Runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • Sore throat
  • Fever and/or chills
  • Muscle aches
  • Fatigue
  • Headache

You can become sick with a respiratory infection any time of the year. However, infections are more likely to occur during the fall/winter seasons.

Prevent respiratory infections by:

  • Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
  • Washing your hands often, with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when your hands are not soiled and when soap and water are not available
  • Coughing and sneezing into your sleeve or a tissue (instead of your hands)
  • Throwing away used tissues immediately and cleaning your hands
  • Avoiding touching your face (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth) with unclean hands
  • Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces
  • Staying home when you are sick
  • Ensuring your immunizations, such as the seasonal flu shot and COVID-19 vaccination, are up-to-date
  • Keeping healthy by eating healthy foods, being physically active and getting enough sleep
Preventing enteric infections

Enteric infections spread when disease-causing microorganism enter the body, usually through contaminated food/water. Enteric infections can also be spread by touching animals, their environments, or the feces/vomit of an infected person, and then touching your mouth without cleaning your hands.

Enteric infections caused by microorganisms such as norovirus, rotavirus, Campylobacter, Listeria, Shigella, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella can result in mild to severe illness. Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of becoming very sick as they may develop other issues such as dehydration and require hospitalization.

Typical symptoms of enteric infections include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal cramps
  • Fever and/or chills
  • Headache
  • Lack of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Dehydration

Prevent enteric infections by:

Preventing infections at the spa and salon

Serious infections can spread during salon and spa services if proper steps to clean, disinfect or sterilize are not followed by staff. Before making an appointment, make sure the place you visit passed its latest inspection by visiting YorkSafe Inspection Reports. Also, know what to look for and what questions to ask to help avoid infection. For more information, visit Spa and Salon Safety.

Reporting infection prevention and control complaints

To report an infection prevention and control complaint in the community:

Infection Prevention and Control for Health Professionals and Operators

The resources below provide guidance on infection prevention and control (IPAC) practices for health professionals and operators of facilities such as congregate living settings, long-term care homes, retirement homes, funeral homes, and spas and salons.

Congregate Living, Long-Term Care and Retirement Home Settings
Routine Practices and Additional Precautions resources
Cleaning, disinfection, sterilization resources
Foot care resources
Public health guides
Pets in facility settings
Reporting infectious diseases and outbreaks

Promptly report infectious diseases, respiratory and enteric outbreaks in facility settings, to York Region Public Health. Visit Infectious Diseases and Outbreak Management to learn more.

Funeral Home or Cemetery Settings

York Region Public Health is required to review requests for corpse removal, opening of a body bag/casket/container, disinterment and/or shipment of a deceased person who was confirmed, suspected, or isolated for having a communicable disease, as listed in O. Reg. 557. 

Under O. Reg. 557 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, there are requirements to properly manage corpses with the following communicable diseases:

  1. Anthrax
  2. Ebola virus disease
  3. Haemorrhagic fevers (other viral causes)
  4. Lassa fever
  5. Marburg virus disease
  6. Plague
  7. Smallpox

It is important to handle corpses as per O. Reg. 557 to prevent transmission of disease to others involved in their handling.

Spa and Salon Settings

For information and resources on preventing infection at spa and salon, please visit Spa and Salon Safety.

Antibiotic-resistant organisms (ARO) fact sheets

Antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs) are a growing concern in York Region, impacting the health and safety of our community.

AROs are disease-causing bacteria that have changed to resist the antibiotics (drugs) designed to kill them.  This means that some bacteria may survive and continue to cause infections despite a person being given an antibiotic treatment. 

AROs include Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE), Clostridioides Difficile (C. difficile), Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)

ARO Fact Sheets

The fact sheets below explain how AROs are spread, risk factors, treatment options and ways to reduce their spread in the community:

Staying informed and practicing effective infection control practices helps to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms in our community.

Infection Prevention and Control Education and Training
Hand hygiene for school-aged children
Infection prevention and control resources
Handwashing demonstration resources

Below are resources to assist school staff interested in conducting handwashing demonstrations for students in JK to grade three.

Demonstrations may be conducted in the following ways:

  1. Pretend to wash hands using the 6 step method, OR
  2. Conduct handwashing demonstration using washable paint or glow germ and a black light. Glow-germ is a special lotion which is rubbed on participants hands and under the black light participants are able to visualize glowing 'germs'. Glow-germ is a memorable way to demonstrate how germs are spread and how important it is to wash hands properly.
Handwashing videos

For Grades JK to One

For Grades Two to Three

Related Resources