What is infection control?

In general, infection control refers to the interventions required to prevent the transmission of micro-organisms from infected patients to other patients and health workers. Infection control measures are based on an understanding of how different diseases are transmitted. Types of infection control include:

Standard precautions, which should be applied regardless of disease or type of institution. For this reason, they are also known as universal precautions.

Transmission-based precautions, which should be applied in specific circumstances, depending on the transmission routes of various diseases.