Which infectious disease requires contact precautions in a healthcare setting?

Contact precautions are critical for preventing the spread of certain infectious diseases in healthcare settings. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics and can cause a variety of infections, especially in patients with weakened immune systems or open wounds. These infections can be transmitted through direct contact with an infected person’s skin or contaminated surfaces.

The reason for implementing contact precautions with MRSA includes the need to prevent transmission within healthcare environments, where patients may be more vulnerable to infections. This involves using gloves and gowns upon contact and ensuring thorough hand hygiene practices to reduce the risk of spreading the bacteria.

Other infectious diseases on the list may also have specific precautions; however, MRSA is particularly known for requiring contact precautions due to its resistant nature and potential to spread via direct contact. Influenza typically utilizes droplet precautions; norovirus requires additional sanitation measures due to its highly contagious nature primarily through the fecal-oral route; and while hepatitis A is contagious, it requires standard precautions mainly related to hygiene rather than contact precautions specifically. Thus, MRSA stands out as the infection that necessitates explicit contact precautions in healthcare settings.