New Delhi, May 12 : Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has lauded the nurses who are acting as the first line of defence against COVID-19. In a tweet on International Nurses Day, Gandhi said, "Across India our nurses are working tirelessly, around the clock, to help save lives. They are our unsung heroes, our first line of defence against the Covid19 virus. On #InternationalNursesDay I thank & salute each & every one of them for their hard work & dedication". International Nurses Day is being observed today with "Nursing the world to Health" as the theme by the WHO. Acknowledging the hard work done by the healthcare warriors, BD India has launched a digital campaign "With You For You", a campaign dedicated to celebrating the heroism of nurses and doctors. Through this platform, experiences and untold stories of nurses and doctors in the form of videos and collage during the pandemic will be shared with the country and worldwide, thanking them for their selfless work. Binu Sharma, President-Infusion Nurses Society, India speaking on the occasion said that healthcare staff are at risk and need to take precautions with the emergence of Covid 19. Sharma said that thousands of patients in the country along with hundreds of healthcare staff are already at risk and, therefore, it is of utmost importance for medical professionals to adhere to precautionary measures to fight the ravages of this virus, while treating the patients. Sharma added that compromise in following proper guidelines may lead to serious problems. Apart from a potential increasing in the likelihood of exposure to infection leading to greater anxiety, it will cause shortage of nurses and panic among the care givers. Listing out the regimen for nurses, Sharma said, "Hence, it becomes very essential for the nurses to not only follow safety protocols by using protective gears, masks, PPE but also ensure appropriate staffing, power breaks, focus on balanced diet, continued training on dynamically changing protocols and engagement with mentors and coaches". Sunil Rao, Group Medical Director, Sahyadri Hospitals, Pune said without nurses, managing this disease would have been very difficult. Since nurses risk their lives while treating the patients, they must follow various safety protocols and guidelines like IPC precautions, no reuse of single-use devices and implementation of latest technologies like auto-disable syringes. Rao said that nurses should follow protocols on needleless IV connection devices and follow a safe injection, specimen collection and surface disinfection procedures to contain the spread of the virus. /IANS