Term
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Definition
| When an infectious agent capable of causing disease meets a susceptible host that is vulnerable to the agent in an environment that allows the agent and host to interact. |
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Term
| What is the most effective way to control the spread of disease? |
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Definition
| Breaking the chain of infection is the most effective way. |
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Term
| Define communicable disease. |
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Definition
| An illness due to a specific infectious agent or its toxic product that arises through transmission of that agent or its products from an infected person, animal, or inanimate reservoir to a susceptible host. |
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Term
| What are the 6 essential elements of disease? |
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Definition
| Infectious agent, Reservoir, Host, Portal of Exit, Portal of Entry, and Mode of Transmission. |
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Term
| What is an infectious agent? |
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Definition
| Organisms that live on or in the body of a host and can produce disease. |
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Term
| What is the primary goal of an infectious agent? |
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Definition
| To invade, grow, and reproduce. |
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Term
| What steps must be taken to describe an infectious disease? |
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Definition
| Identify the agent, Describe signs and symptoms, how the disease is transmitted, and disease prognosis. |
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Term
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Definition
| The ability of an agent to invade survive, and multiply in a host. |
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Term
| True or False. Infectivity always leads to disease. |
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Definition
| False. Infection does NOT always lead to disease. |
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Term
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Definition
| The ability of an agent to cause clinical disease in a susceptible host. |
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Term
| True or False. A highly pathogenic infectious agent will produce disease in virtually all infected persons. |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| The ability of an agent to cause severe disease in a host. |
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Term
| What can be used as an indicator for the virulence of an infectious agent? |
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Definition
| Case fatality rate, and/or the ability of the infectious agent to damage tissue of the host. |
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Term
| Define Reservoir as it pertains to the essential element of a disease. |
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Definition
| Where an infectious agent normally lives, multiplies, and primarily depends upon for survival. |
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Term
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Definition
| Human, animal, arthropods, plants, soil, water, or inanimate objects. |
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Term
| Define Host as it pertains to the essential elements of a disease. |
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Definition
| A living person or animal, to include birds and arthropods, that provides, subsistence(food) or lodgment(living space) to an infectious agent under natural conditions. |
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Term
| What is a susceptible host? |
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Definition
| A person or animal lacking sufficient resistance to prevent disease if exposed to a pathogenic agent. |
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Term
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Definition
| An infected or diseased person or animal having specific clinical, laboratory or epidemiologic characteristics (person ill with disease). |
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Term
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Definition
| A person who contracts a disease and infects a population. Also known as patient zero. |
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Term
| What is a Secondary Case? |
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Definition
| Persons who subsequently contract the infection from the primary case. |
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Term
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Definition
| A person or animal that has been exposed to an infected person/animal or a contaminated environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| A person or animal that harbors a specific infectious agent without obvious clinical disease and serves as a potiential source of infection. They don't have symptoms, but are unable to completely eliminate the infectious agent. |
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Term
| What are the most common types of carriers? |
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Definition
| Disease-producing agents in the intestines. |
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Term
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Definition
| Characteristics that increase the likelihood that a person will acquire a specific disease. |
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Term
| List a few common risk factors that could determine if someone will become ill when exposed to an infectious agent. |
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Definition
| Genetics of host, Characteristics of infectious agent (Infectivity, pathogenicity, and virulence), Physical condition of the host, host immunity, conditions that impair immunity, dose and duration of exposure to the infectious agent. |
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Term
| Define Portal of Exit as it pertains to the essential elements of a disease. |
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Definition
| The path by which an agent leaves the source reservoir or host. Must leave to infect others. |
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Term
| What are some common Portals of Exit? |
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Definition
| Blood, Nose/Mouth, Sexual Organs, Fecal Waste. |
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Term
| Define Mode of Transmission as it pertains to the essential elements of a disease. |
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Definition
| Transmission of the infectious agents to a receptive portal of entry. |
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Term
| Name 3 main modes of transmission. |
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Definition
| Direct, indirect, and/or airborne exposure. |
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Term
| How are most direct contact diseases transferred? |
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Definition
| Carried on the skin, many times transferred by the hands. |
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Term
| What are some ways direct contact may occur? |
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Definition
| Touching, biting, kissing, or sexual intercourse. |
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Term
| How are droplets spread in direct transmission? |
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Definition
| Occurs by the direct projection of droplet spray onto the conjunctiva or onto the mucous membranes of the eye, nose, or mouth during sneezing, coughing, spitting, singing, or talking thats within 3 feet or less. |
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Term
| How are infectious agents frequently spread during indirect transmission? |
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Definition
| Through contamination of foods and water. |
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Term
| Explain Vehicle-borne transmission. |
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Definition
| Occurs through contaminated inanimate objects or materials (fomites). Basically, non-living carriers of an infectious agent from its reservoir to a susceptible host. |
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Term
| Explain Vector-Borne transmission. |
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Definition
| Occurs through exposure from living things, nameley insects or other animals, that have been infected by or in contact with pathogenic microbes before transmitting these microbes to the human body. |
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Term
| What are some examples of arthropods of medical importance as vectors. |
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Definition
| Ticks, fleas, flies, lice, and mosquitos. |
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Term
| Describe Mechanical Transmission. |
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Definition
| Occurs when the infectious agent is spread by crawling or flying insects, usually on their feet or mouthparts. |
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Term
| Describe Biological transmission. |
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Definition
| Occurs when the infectious agent multiplies and/or undergoes further development before the arthropod can transmit the infective form of the infectious agent to humans. Different from mechanical in that the arthropod itself is infected with the organism. |
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Term
| Describe Airborne Transmission. |
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Definition
| Occurs when an infectious agent is carried from a reservoir to a susceptible host by suspended air particles. |
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Term
| When are pathogens considered to be airborne? |
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Definition
| If they travel more than 3 feet through the air. |
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Term
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Definition
| Consists of dried mucous, which protects the embedded infectious agent as it is suspended airborne. |
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Term
| Describe how dust particles can be a form of airborne transmission. |
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Definition
| Airborne pathogens fall to the ground, on clothing, or bedding, and combine with dust particles of varying sizes and then are disrupted by activities such as sweeping, changing clothing, or exchanging linens, allowing them to be inhaled by a susceptible host. |
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Term
| Define Portal of Entry as it pertains to the essential elements of disease. |
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Definition
| The path by which an infectious agent enters the susceptible host. The portals of entry for a disease agent may be the same as the portals of exit. |
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Term
| What are the most common portals of entry? |
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Definition
| The mouth, nose, eyes, genitals, and skin (via cuts, scrapes, scratches, and sores). |
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Term
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Definition
| The entry and multiplication of an infectious agent in the body of persons or animals. The pathogen establishes itself in or on the host, overcoming host defenses and allowing it to grow and reproduce. |
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Term
| What are 3 major categories of infections caused by microbes? |
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Definition
| Acute infections, Chronic infections, and Latent infections. |
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Term
| What is an Acute infection? |
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Definition
| Lasts a short time, but can make you feel very uncomfortable, with signs and symptoms such as tiredness, coughing, and sneezing. Intensity varies with the disease. |
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Term
| What is a Chronic infection? |
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Definition
| Usually develops from acute infections and can last for days to months, up to a lifetime. |
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Term
| What is a Latent infection? |
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Definition
| Hidden or silent infections that may or may not cause symptoms again after the initial acute episode. Can "wake up" and become active again, sometimes on and off for months or years. |
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Term
| What is a Nosocomial infection? |
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Definition
| Infections acquired in a medical treatment facility. |
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Term
| What makes hospitalized patients more susceptible to nosocomial infections? |
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Definition
| Breaks in the skin and mucous membranes from lesions and wounds, low immunity resistance, or the immune system is compromised due to treatment from immunosuppressant drugs. |
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Term
| What is an incubation period? |
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Definition
| The time interval between initial contact with an infectious agent and the first appearance(onset) of symptoms associated with the infection. |
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Term
| What is a subclinical case (asymptomatic)? |
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Definition
| A person with a disease and does not show any identifiable symptoms. |
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Term
| What do Initial Symptoms refer to? |
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Definition
| The first symptoms that clearly demonstrate an illness. |
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Term
| What is the Period of Communicability? |
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Definition
| Time during which an infectious agent may be transferred directly or indirectly from an infected person to another person, from an infected animal to humans, or from an infected person to animals, including arthropods. |
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Term
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Definition
| The period during which symptoms decline and the patient recovers. |
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Term
| What are some of the paths that recovery may take? |
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Definition
| 1) Infectious agent is eliminated from the body and patient returns to full health, 2) patient becomes a carrier, meaning the patient recovers but infectious agent is still present in body and able to shed(spread) to others, 3) Patient can make a partial recovery, resulting in disability and contious relapses. |
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Term
| What is the difference between Prevention vs. Control? |
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Definition
| Prevention is a way to stop the occurrence of disease or injury, whereas control is a way to reduce or stop further spread of disease or injury once it has already occurred. |
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Term
| What characteristics of a disease must you know in order to use Prevention and Control measures effectively? |
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Definition
| Characteristics of the infectious agent, mode of transmission, and susceptible hosts. |
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Term
| What is the best way to prevent and control disease? |
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Definition
| Break the Chain of Infection! |
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Term
| What are the 3 links in the chain of infection? |
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Definition
| Source (reservoir), Mode of transmission, and Susceptible hosts. |
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Term
| Which control measures can break the chain of infection at all three links? |
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Definition
| Personal hygiene and patient education. |
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Term
| Which control measure is the simplest, easiest, and most effective way to prevent acquiring/carrying most pathogenic organisms? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the Five F's on Personal Hygiene? |
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Definition
| Most important parts of the body that need to be washed are the fingers, face, front, fanny and feet. |
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Term
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Definition
| The separation of infected individual/animal from others who are not infected during the period of communicability. |
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Term
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Definition
| The separation of exposed (well) persons or animals during the incubation period from those who are infected. |
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Term
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Definition
| The means of not only resolving the patient's infection, but will likely prevent spreading disease to others in the community. |
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Term
| What is the focus of PH Education? |
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Definition
| Focus on improving general health, personal hygiene, how to avoid infection, and preventing spreading the infection to others. |
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Term
| What prevention and control measures are used to break the Modes of Transmission link? |
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Definition
| Includes preventing contact with the source or vehicle. Also includes personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, air, water, food, waste, insects/vector control, and education. |
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Term
| What is the focus of environmental control/prevention measures? |
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Definition
| Focus on controlling pollution of the air, dust, soil, and water. |
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Term
| What prevention and control measures are used to break the Susceptible Host link? |
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Definition
| Personal hygiene, immunizations, prophylaxis, and education. |
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Term
| What is the goal of prevention and control measures in the Susceptible Host link? |
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Definition
| To protect the host from the infectious agent. |
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Term
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Definition
| Preventive measures taken to prevent disease. |
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Term
| What is an example of prophylactic prevention and control measures for protecting Susceptible Hosts in the Chain of Infection? |
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Definition
| Use of personal protective devices and equipment such as condoms, gloves, barriers, etc. that prevent the likelihood of contracting infections through contact. |
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