Airborne flu virus

Influenza virus: here, there, especially air? Jan 31 IDSA press release. Grant support for ASP provided by. Become an underwriter». All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Skip to main content. University of Minnesota. Driven to Discover. Site Search. Staff Mission Contact Us.

Study: Airborne flu viruses may play big role in transmission Filed Under :. Influenza, General. Feb 01, Share this page:. Sign up now». Related News All news. Mar 19 Some experts believe influenza transmits through the air, but not all scientists agree. Measures taken by hospitals and individuals can help prevent the spread of airborne infectious diseases.

Hospitals and other healthcare centers follow strict guidelines regarding ventilation methods and other measures to protect people from particles that cause airborne diseases and other health problems. Experts believe that some diseases can spread through more than one route. For example, if microorganisms enter the environment when a person coughs, they may stay in the air or land on surfaces. These surfaces become fomites, which is a term for an object likely to carry an infection. If another person touches a fomite and then touches their mouth, they may then develop symptoms of the disease.

Influenza is one example where this might happen, research suggests. During the COVID pandemic, people should follow local guidelines about testing, isolation, and wearing face coverings. The symptoms of an airborne disease will vary widely, depending on the type of disease.

Here are some examples of the main symptoms and treatment approaches for some of these diseases:. Some airborne diseases, such as the common cold, produce minor symptoms in most people and usually resolve within a few days. Antibiotics can help manage a bacterial infection, and antifungal medications may help resolve infections due to fungi.

Antivirals can help slow the activity of a virus in some cases, but there is currently no cure for a virus. However, vaccines can prevent many viruses from causing severe illness. While antibiotics have improved the outlook for many bacterial infections, some diseases, such as TB, are becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment, making them harder to treat.

Airborne diseases can pass from one person to another when particles that contain pathogens enter into the air, and some then remain suspended there. A range of fungi, viruses, and bacteria can all transmit in this way.

To avoid infection or passing a disease on to another person, people should take care to cover their mouth and nose when sneezing and stay away from other people if they are unwell. Hospitals should follow guidelines to ensure adequate ventilation. During the COVID pandemic, people can help prevent the spread of disease by using face coverings in public places and isolating according to their current local guidelines.

Meningitis affects the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. It is the most dangerous type of meningitis and can be fatal. The COVID pandemic has revealed critical knowledge gaps in our understanding of and a need to update the traditional view of transmission pathways for respiratory viruses.

The long-standing definitions of droplet and airborne transmission do not account for the mechanisms by which virus-laden respiratory droplets and aerosols travel through the air and lead to infection. In this Review, we discuss current evidence regarding the transmission of respiratory viruses by aerosols-how they are generated, transported, and deposited, as well as the factors affecting the relative contributions of droplet-spray deposition versus aerosol inhalation as modes of transmission.