Which statement best reflects infection control policy on excluding staff and visitors with communicable diseases?

• A. Excluding residents with communicable diseases
• B. Requiring masks for visitors with illness
• C. Excluding personnel with non-communicable diseases
• D. Excluding personnel & visitors with communicable diseases

Answer: (D)

Infection control aims to prevent the spread of contagious illnesses by stopping the flow of infection from people who could transmit it. The strongest way to protect residents, staff, and visitors is to exclude anyone who has a communicable disease from entering or working in the facility, because they could unknowingly spread pathogens to others. This approach minimizes opportunities for transmission in close-contact settings.

Excluding residents with communicable diseases would deny residents care and isn’t how infection control is applied in practice. Requiring masks for visitors with illness is helpful and part of layered defenses, but it does not completely eliminate the risk of transmission. Excluding personnel with non-communicable diseases isn’t appropriate, since those diseases aren’t spread between people, and it would be discriminatory.