Study: H1N1 flu transmission varies by type of exposure

Folks, we don't mean for FierceHealthcare to become The Swine Flu Journal, but the following seemed like it would be of interest to any health professional charged with helping to contain the spread of the bug, so here goes. According to a new study, swine flu infection rates vary meaningfully depending on which exposure pathway is involved, be it touching, coughing, inhaling air or other vector of transmission.

The study, which appears in the journal Risk Analysis, concluded that 52 percent of swine flu infections were acquired when a person came into close contact with an infected person spraying cough droplets another person's into eyes, nostrils or lips.

It also concludes, meanwhile, that 31 percent of those diagnosed with H1N1 flu were most likely infected through hand contact with contaminated surfaces. Another 17 percent probably became infected by inhaling small particles carrying the virus when in the room with a previously-infected person.

Researchers say the study supports the notion that caregivers should wear gloves and a filtering face piece respirator when in a confined room with a swine flu victim.

To learn more about this issue:
- read this UPI piece