Healthy is Lifestyle

The infectious agent is also known as contagion. The actions implemented by the Region and ASL for the prevention of infectious diseases affecting the surveillance of cases (with registration of reports received from hospital doctors and family and processing of periodic reports epidemiological), the implementation of control measures to infectious diseases, for which you may make persons who came into contact with the patient in the prophylactic drugs or vaccines (Tuberculin test in cases of tuberculosis, antibiotics for bacterial meningitis, vaccination for measles or hepatitis A), dissemination of information on behavior more than adequate to prevent infection (brochure on infectious diseases in the community school or educational courses on sexually transmitted diseases), vaccinations, the organization of vaccination campaigns in childhood and in adults.

With the provision "Monitoring, reporting, control of infectious diseases: review and reorganization of prevention interventions in the Region of Lombardy," the region has declined to give professionals and citizens of prevention tools to combat many infectious diseases still common, especially in Children and young people, although with very different aspects than in the past. It is common experience that, when individual cases or outbreaks of epidemics involving school children and communities in general, take over fear and alarm.

Prevention interventions, the ASL has in place through the operators of the Department of Prevention and Medical Districts are sometimes regarded as insufficient, because it is still widespread and erroneous belief that all possible means, the isolation of the sick for disinfecting homes and schools, are always absolutely necessary. The statistical data and epidemiological studies have revealed several "secrets" of the transmission of infectious diseases.

It is well known that most diseases are spreading as early as the incubation period (when there is still no clear symptoms of the disease), which in many cases the infection can be prevented by simple precautions and hygiene measures, if applied consistently well in the absence of sick people. And yet we know that all viruses and many bacteria survive, out sick for a very short time and, therefore, disinfection of the environment is useless if not harmful (for the selection of resistant strains).

The region has seen fit to acknowledge the latest scientific world, translating them into operational guidelines applicable to the context of Lombardy. But above all you must change the mentality to think that the prevention of infectious diseases, promoting interventions available before there is an infectious disease and not just those put in place when the disease has already occurred, aimed exclusively at controlling its spread.

The most effective means of prevention is definitely the vaccinations; equally important is the adoption of hygiene routine, become part of habitual behavior, we avoid being achieved by microbes. The first step in this direction is the information: the collaboration between stakeholders in the prevention and the different components that operate in communities and school children (teachers, educators, parents and pupils) also arises from the sharing of knowledge that underlie the signs operating for the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

In the attachments below, you can find the material released in Lombardy on the prevention and vaccination, while in the voice depth, are the main measures (decisions, decrees, laws) and monthly reports on the progress of infectious diseases in our region