Standard Precautions: Use Standard Precautions, or the equivalent, for the care of all patients.

Airborne Precautions: In addition to Standard Precautions, use Airborne Precautions for patients known or suspected to have serious illnesses transmitted by airborne droplet nuclei. Examples of such illnesses include:

• Measles
• Varicella (including disseminated zoster)^a
• Tuberculosis^b

Droplet Precautions: In addition to Standard Precautions, use Droplet Precautions for patients known or suspected to have serious illnesses transmitted by large particle droplets. Examples of such illnesses include:

• Invasive Neisseria meningitidis disease, including meningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis
• Other serious bacterial respiratory infections spread by droplet transmission, including:
  • Diphtheria (pharyngeal)
  • Mycoplasma pneumonia
  • Pertussis
  • Invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease, including meningitis, pneumonia, epiglottitis, and sepsis
  • Pneumonic plague
  • Streptococcal (group A) pharyngitis, pneumonia, or scarlet fever in infants and young children
• Serious viral infections spread by droplet transmission, including:
  • Adenovirus^a
  • Influenza
  • Mumps
  • Parvovirus B19
  • Rubella

Contact Precautions: In addition to Standard Precautions, use Contact Precautions for patients known or suspected to have serious illnesses easily transmitted by direct patient contact or by contact with items in the patient's environment. Examples of such illnesses include:

• Gastrointestinal, respiratory, skin, or wound infections or colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria judged by the infection control program, based on current State, regional, or national recommendations, to be of special clinical and epidemiologic significance
• Enteric infections with a low infectious dose or prolonged environmental survival, including:
  • Clostridium difficile
  • For diapered or incontinent patients: enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella, hepatitis A, or rotavirus
  • Respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, or enteroviral infections in infants and young children
• Skin infections that are highly contagious or that may occur on dry skin, including:
  • Diphtheria (cutaneous)
  • Herpes simplex virus (neonatal or mucocutaneous)
  • Impetigo
  • Major (noncontained) abscesses, cellulitis, or decubiti
  • Pediculosis
  • Scabies
  • Staphylococcal furunculosis in infants and young children
  • Zoster (disseminated or in the immunocompromised host)^a
  • Viral/hemorrhagic conjunctivitis
  • Viral hemorrhagic infections (Ebola, Lassa, or Marburg)^c