Enterovirus D68: What you should do in order to protect yourself and your patients

October 10, 2014

The BC Nurses' Union is reminding members to take all necessary steps at their worksites to protect themselves and their patients from the current outbreak of Enterovirus D68.

The BC Nurses' Union is reminding members to take all necessary steps at their worksites to protect themselves and their patients from the current outbreak of Enterovirus D68. This includes carrying out basic infection control practices and conducting point-of-care risk assessments before patient interactions.

Enterovirus D68 is a respiratory virus that has been affecting mostly children in Canada and the United States. The virus causes mild cold symptoms such as fever, runny nose, sneezing, coughing and muscle aches. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes or touches a surface that is then touched by others. It is more serious for young children with existing respiratory conditions such as asthma.

There are several actions you can take to reduce the risk of infection:

Wash your hands routinely
Familiarize yourself with how to conduct a point-of-care risk assessment
Wear a fit-tested N-95 respirator, in addition to required droplet and contact precautions (such as, but not limited to gloves, a full face shield or goggles)
Comply with infection control measures and policies at your workplace
STOP if you do not have the required personal protective equipment or respiratory protection, and speak with your manager or supervisor. If your concerns are not resolved, please contact a steward.

If you are concerned you've possibly been exposed to an infectious disease:

Seek an immediate clinical assessment and/or first aid following your worksite BBF (blood and bodily fluids) exposure protocols
Report the incident as soon as possible, using the employee incident reporting process for your worksite
Let the BCNU representative on the Joint OH&S Committee know what happened
Start a WorkSafeBC claim for medical treatment and/or missed time from work. See BCNU poster for more information.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed more information on Enterovirus D68 which can be viewed here: http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/EV-D68.html

More information on prevention and symptoms is listed here: https://www.vch.ca/about_us/news/enterovirus--what-you-need-to-know