Passing time and the attendant flow of people is an enemy to a good investigation. In a detective novel, the crime scene is closed off until it can be dusted for fingerprints and important elements are bagged. In an ideal outbreak investigation, the same procedure applies, though unfortunately most situations will be far from ideal. The reasonable time is best determined after you know the organism, the incubation period, and the most likely method of transmission. Encourage decision makers to make treatment and prevention easily available to all affected.
Most facilities treat both patients and employees when infectious outbreaks occur.
Employees are especially appreciative when management is responsive to quickly transmitted infections associated with poor hygiene, such as lice or scabies. For example, use of a pyrethrin-type shampoo, which has an excellent safety record and prevents reinfestation with head lice for 14 days, might be preferable to a lindane product, which can be absorbed percutaneously and is not safe for young children. Similarly, ample supplies of materials such as latex gloves, masks, non-drying soap, and other physical barriers should always be available. Identify possible sources and take samples. The source of the outbreak may disappear as rapidly as a dinner tray returning to the kitchen to be washed, or as slowly as a worker who carries typhoid.