Explain why hospital settings pose greater risks for certain types of infectious diseases that are not as commonly found in the general community

What will be an ideal response?

ANSWER:
Hospital settings naturally concentrate a number of patients that are already ill, have weakened immune systems, and are more vulnerable than the general population. Patients are therefore more likely to spread and be susceptible to further infection. More patients in hospital settings have weakened immune systems compared to the general population and hence there is a higher incidence of opportunistic infections. Hospitals also harbor pathogens that are already proven to have the ability to infect patients and/or be particularly harmful. Hospital procedures such as surgery, catheterization, or use of ventilators increase the risk of introducing pathogens into the patient. Furthermore, the widespread use of antibiotics has led to the evolution of antibiotic resistance in several pathogens such as MRSA and VRE, making them more difficult to treat.