The virus of flu can be transmitted by breathing, depending on results of a study published in the medical journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers at the University of Maryland in the United States captured and studied the influenza virus in the exhaled breath of 142 confirmed cases of people with influenza as they breathed, spoke, coughed and sneezed and to assess their infectious character.
Analysis of the infectious virus has shown that a significant number of patients infected with the flu were contagious with their simple breathing.
“People with influenza generate infectious aerosols (tiny droplets that remain airborne for a long time) even when they are not coughing, especially during the early days of illness. So when someone one catch it fluhe should go home and not stay in the workplace and infect others,” said Dr. Milton, a professor of environmental health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health and lead researcher on this study.
Reduce the risk of contagion
These findings could be used to improve mathematical models of the risk of airborne influenza transmission in people with the disease. The results may also help to develop more effective public health interventions and to control and reduce the impact of disease outbreaks. flu and pandemics. Improvements could be made to ventilation systems to reduce the risk of transmission in public places such as offices, classrooms and subway cars.
“The study results suggest that keeping surfaces clean, washing your hands all the time, and avoiding coughing people does not provide complete protection against the flu,” said Sheryl Ehrman, Don Beall Dean of Charles College. W. Davidson at San Jose State University. “Staying home and getting out of public spaces could make a difference in the spread of the flu virus.”
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