An infection-prevention nurse assigns initial transmission-based precautions in addition to Standard Precautions. Diagnoses below are confirmed or strongly suspected as stated. Use one complete category per record: Contact, Droplet, Airborne, or Airborne plus Contact. Assign each record once; categories accept multiple records and have no quotas. Consider lesion extent, immune status and the ability to contain secretions or drainage.

Correct answer
Contact: symptomatic C. difficile and uncontained major wound drainage. Droplet: meningococcal meningitis and influenza. Airborne: measles and pulmonary TB. Airborne plus Contact: disseminated zoster and varicella.

Why this is correct
Some pathogens require a combined category. Measles requires Airborne plus Standard, whereas varicella and disseminated zoster require Airborne plus Contact plus Standard. The extent and containment of lesions or drainage changes the relevant contact risk.

Clinical picture
Transmission-based precautions are added to Standard Precautions. Implementation includes the appropriate room, protective equipment and local infection-prevention procedures; classification alone does not specify every operational detail.

Memory hook
One record, one complete precaution package. A combined package is a distinct answer, not permission to omit one of its components.

NCLEX decision rule
Use pathogen-specific recommendations and the stated clinical modifiers. Do not infer that all viral rashes require the same combination, or that a covered localized lesion behaves like disseminated disease.

Why the alternatives are wrong
Record 1 requires Airborne, not the combined category solely because a rash exists. Record 2 describes disseminated disease in an immunocompromised host, supporting Airborne plus Contact. Record 3 requires Droplet at the stated untreated stage. Record 4 has active symptomatic uncontained enteric infection requiring Contact. Record 5 requires Airborne for infectious pulmonary disease. Record 6 has active uncrusted varicella requiring both routes of precaution. Record 7 uses routine influenza care without an aerosol-generating procedure, supporting Droplet. Record 8 is major uncontained drainage, not a minor wound reliably covered by a dressing. Equal counts happen in this set but are not supplied as response capacities.