Guidelines on Prevention of Communicable Diseases in Schools/Kindergartens/Kindergartens-cum-Child Care Centres/Child Care Centres
Chapter 3
General guidelines on prevention of communicable diseases
Prevention of communicable diseases should be considered in various aspects including personal hygiene,
food hygiene,
environmental hygiene
and vaccination.
Personal hygiene includes hand and respiratory hygiene.
Hand hygiene is very important for preventing the spread of communicable diseases as many are transmitted through contact.
The following areas inside schools and centres
such as toilets
kitchen
pantry
laundry
and art room
Liquid soap
disposable paper towels
or hand dryers should be provided
Wherever hand washing facilities are not available, 70-80% alcohol-based handrub should be provided.
Generally speaking, when hands are visibly soiled or likely contaminated with body fluids, handwashing with liquid soap and water is required
When there is no visible dirt on the hands, 70-80% alcohol-based handrub can be used.
Perform hand hygiene in the following situations
before touching eyes,
nose and mouth,
before eating and handling food,
after using the toilet,
when hands may be contaminated by body fluids such as after changing diaper for a young child, handling blood or articles soiled with body fluids,
when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretions such as after coughing or sneezing,
after touching public installations or facilities such as escalator handrail,
lift buttons
and door knobs
Respiratory Hygiene
No spitting
Cover nose and mouth with tissue paper when coughing or sneezing. Wrap up respiratory secretions with tissue paper
and then discard into a garbage bin with a lid
or flush it away in the toilet
and wash hands immediately.
Person with symptoms of respiratory infection
should wear a mask to prevent the spread of germs
Food Hygiene covers three aspects: choosing, preparing and storing food.
Buy fresh food
or prepackaged food which is labelled, within expiry date and has intact packaging.
Don't overstock food to avoid prolonged storage.
When handling raw and cooked food,
separate knives and chopping boards should be used to prevent cross contamination.
Wash hands properly after handling raw food
Do not handle cooked food with bare hands
Wear mask, washable or disposable apron and cap when handling cooked food
Wounds on hands should be covered with waterproof dressing
Staff should not handle food if suffering from illnesses such as fever, diarrhoea and vomiting
Store food in well-covered containers. Perishable food should be stored in refrigerator immediately after purchase.
Milk prepared in advance
should be stored in a refrigerator at or below 4ºC to prevent germ growth.
It should be discarded if still not consumed after 24 hours.
Each refrigerator should be equipped with a thermometer and has the temperatures recorded regularly. Keep the temperature inside the refrigerator at or below 4ºC and the freezer compartment at or below -18ºC
Besides, it should be cleansed at regular intervals.
Germs can survive in the environment for a period of time. Therefore, environmental hygiene is also very important.
When choosing a disinfectant, check its contents and directions for use
Household bleach containing 5.25% sodium hypochlorite is the most convenient and effective disinfectant. 1 in 99 diluted household bleach is adequate for general cleaning purposes.
It could be used to clean and disinfect school premises including classrooms, kitchens, canteens, toilets, bathrooms and school buses, etc
Leave the bleach for 15-30 minutes, and then rinse with water and wipe dry
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as furniture, toys and commonly shared items, such as door knobs, hand rails and computer keyboards at least daily
Since household bleach contains sodium hypochlorite
which is corrosive to metal
Use 70% alcohol
to disinfect metallic surfaces
If contaminated by respiratory secretions, vomitus or excreta,
wipe the visible dirt away with highly absorbent disposable towels first
Then, disinfect the surface and 2-meter neighboring areas with 1 in 49 diluted household bleach
Leave the bleach for 15-30 minutes, then rinse with water and wipe dry.
Blood-stained articles should be wiped with highly absorbent disposable towels dipped in 1 in 4 diluted household bleach.
Leave the bleach for 10 minutes, then rinse with water and wipe dry.
Clean regularly air conditioners
and filters
Kitchen is the place where food is handled. It should be kept clean at all times
Exhaust fans and range hoods should be cleaned regularly
Eating utensils should be stored properly in clean cupboards
Worktops should be kept clean
Floor should also be kept dry after cleaning
Don't place any clothes or personal items in the kitchen.
The garbage bins should be covered properly
to prevent breeding of mosquitoes, cockroaches, flies, rats, etc
Toilets, changing rooms and bathrooms should be kept clean. Ensure flushing system of the toilets is functioning properly.
Drain pipes should be installed with U-shaped water traps. Don't attempt any unauthorized alteration.
Pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet once a week so as to maintain the water column in the pipe.
Ensure soil pipes and sewage drains are functioning properly without any leakage
Clean handwashing basins
and toilet bowls regularly
Rubbish should be wrapped up and discarded in garbage bins with lids.
Wash hands immediately after handling garbage.
Floor mops and wipers should be handled carefully.
Used cleaning utensils should be rinsed with water to remove solid and bulky waste
Then, immerse them into 1 in 49 diluted household bleach
for 30 minutes. Wash with clean water afterwards. Reuse after thoroughly dried.
Maintain at least 1-meter distance between children's beds
Inspect and clean children's lockers regularly for food remnants, so as to prevent breeding of pests and rats.
Clean immediately if there are any signs of pest or rodent infestation
Empty water in saucers underneath flower pots and change water in vases at least once a week
Top up defective ground surfaces, so as to prevent accumulation of stagnant water and breeding of mosquitoes
Avoid stacking of articles in schools and centres, in order to prevent rodent infestation
It is not advisable to keep pets like cats, dogs, birds, etc in schools and centres.
Vaccination is important for prevention of communicable diseases. Parents should be reminded to have their children vaccinated according to the Childhood Immunisation Programme recommended by CHP.