Final answer:
Preventing and managing pertussis in a community health department includes hand hygiene, vaccination education, recognizing signs and symptoms, and knowledge of appropriate antibiotic use.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question focuses on preparing a public health nurse to educate a group of nurses on various strategies for preventing and managing pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Significant emphasis should be placed on the importance of hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infections, including respiratory illnesses such as flu and coronavirus disease. Regular and thorough hand washing is critical in a clinical setting to prevent transmission of pathogens, and nurses should follow the recommended five steps of proper handwashing advised by the CDC.
In relation to pertussis, it is important to instruct nurses on the administration of vaccines. The DTaP and Tdap vaccines are critical for active prevention of pertussis, with the 'aP' component being a pertussis toxoid which is safer and replaces the older DPT vaccine. Furthermore, educating nurses on recognizing the signs and symptoms of pertussis allows for prompt identification and response to potential cases.
Lastly, while pertussis is often self-limiting, it is vital to understand and educate on the appropriate use of antibiotics. Antibiotic therapy with erythromycin or tetracycline is most effective in the early stages of the disease, but when used later or prophylactically, it primarily reduces the rate of disease transmission rather than treating the infection.