What is the best practice when assisting someone with a suspected infectious disease?

• A. Isolate the person and avoid contact.
• B. Use Standard Precautions and appropriate PPE; minimize exposure.
• C. Ignore PPE if symptoms are mild.
• D. Only gloves are enough

Answer: (B)

Protecting yourself and the person you’re helping comes from using Standard Precautions plus the right protective gear, while keeping exposure to a minimum. Standard Precautions mean treating all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious, washing hands before and after contact, and using barriers whenever there’s a chance of contact with fluids or mucous membranes. The level of PPE depends on what you might be exposed to: gloves for direct contact with bodily fluids, a gown if splashes are possible, and a mask or eye protection if droplets or splashes could occur. In addition, limit unnecessary close contact, cover coughs and sneezes, and avoid sharing items that touch the patient or their fluids.

This approach is best because it provides practical protection for common real-world situations and helps prevent transmission to both you and the person you’re assisting. Isolating the person and avoiding contact isn’t a practical default for most help scenarios; PPE should be used based on the risk of exposure, not a blanket rule. PPE should not be skipped just because symptoms seem mild, since many infections can spread even with mild illness. And gloves alone aren’t enough—other PPE may be needed to protect the eyes, face, or clothing, depending on the situation.