Types of Additional Precautions

Routine practices must be used in all situations. However, sometimes additional precautions or safety measures may be required as well.

There are three types of additional precautions.

1. Airborne precautions are required for diseases that are spread through the air as infectious aerosols such as: tuberculosis; chickenpox (Varicella); measles; smallpox.
2. Droplet precautions are required for conditions or diseases that spread through the air as emissions (droplets) such as: fever with a cough; influenza; bacterial meningitis.
3. Contact precautions are required for conditions or diseases that spread by touch such as: diarrhea and vomiting; C. difficile; antiobiotic resistant organisms.