disposable gown, cap, mask, gloves and overshoes, this can be very costly. Cross contamination can be minimized by paying special attention to clothes, forearms, hands and the soles of shoes. Good quality nylon aprons that can readily be cleaned and disinfected, adhering to proper skin decontamination procedures, wearing either overshoes or using a disinfecting footbath at the entrance to the facility which is changed daily should be regarded as a minmum. Tip: plastic refuge bags with holes cut for head and arms double up effectively as once-off protective gowns (Acknowledgement Sr. Cornelia Hanekom)

Drainage from an isolation area must not run through any other area that is in contact with hospitalised or visiting animals. Drainage points must receive special attention in the cleaning and disinfection programme and regular removal of biofilm around drain outlets prior to cleaning and disinfection is essential.

Cleaning equipment for the isolation area should be clearly marked and kept separate from other sets used in the hospital.

Terminal disinfection goes beyond routine hygiene practice and is a deep cleaning and high level disinfection process that must be carried out after a patient has been discharged from the isolation facility or in the event of an outbreak of disease in the hospital or when a hospital-acquired infection has been identified.

When dealing with any infectious disease, it is important to make sure that an effective broad spectrum product such as F10SC VETERINARY DISINFECTANT (Reg.No.G3707) is used with good in-depth efficacy capable of eliminating the most resistant micro-organisms from the environment and contaminated objects. It is absolutely essential that only products which have been assessed for their spectrum of efficacy and registered by the Dept of Agriculture, Act 36/1947 be used in these high risk facilities – remember if the label doesn't say it's effective against Canine parvovirus, it isn't.

Since moving really sick animals can cause them stress it is also highly desirable to use a disinfectant that can be safely used with the animal present.

The main difference between the regular disinfection regime and terminal disinfection lies with the attention to detail, e.g . identifying the critical control points and introducing measures to eliminate these risks - “kennel cough” will have contaminated air spaces and air conditioning ducts and therefore fogging these areas in addition to the regular disinfecting regime is necessary.

During the first campaign we encountered areas with such severe biofilm build-up that normal daily “cleaning” could be considered totally useless.

Cleaning and disinfection processes must take into account the likelihood of a biofilm build-up and its removal must be build into standard hygene procedures:-

Achieving and maintaining Best Practice Hygiene and Infection Control Standards in the practice provides your patients with a safer environment, your clients with more confidence, your staff with more job satisfaction - and brings peace of mind to yourself.

Over the next few months our team of professionals will present the case for proper but practical isolation and terminal disinfection procedures and assist in staff compliance through awareness training and compliance aids.