Final answer:
Contact isolation is necessary for communicable diseases such as smallpox, molluscum contagiosum, HPV, measles, and others, which are transmitted through direct contact. Rigorous disinfection and hygiene protocols are essential to prevent their spread.
Step-by-step explanation:
Contact isolation is required for communicable diseases that are easily transmitted through direct contact such as skin-to-skin contact, touching contaminated surfaces, or through oral transmission by sharing utensils or kissing. Some diseases that necessitate contact isolation include smallpox, molluscum contagiosum, human papillomavirus (HPV), Parvovirus B19, Rubella, Measles, and Coxsackie A virus. Diseases like the Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus also spread through close interpersonal contact. More serious infections such as yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya fever, and Ebola virus disease are highly infectious and often require isolation to prevent spread. Protocol for contact isolation includes rigorous hand hygiene and disinfection practices by hospital staff, as in the case of Marisa, to minimize the risk of transmission to other patients or healthcare workers.