Authors' recommendations: Despite some limitations caused by the small number of subjects recruited, important observations have been made. The finding that over 30% of infected individuals have infectious virus in their noses for 5 days or more has infection control implications. The evidence for the significance of both contact and bioaerosol routes of transmission, depends upon demonstrating that viable virus is deposited from an infected patient. This has been shown for touched fomites. Virus has been demonstrated by PCR in air samples, but the results of live virus testing are inconclusive. The data generated suggest that contact transmission of pandemic influenza via fomites may be less important than hitherto emphasised, whereas transmission via bioaerosols at short range may be possible, meaning that high-level personal protective equipment (PPE) might be needed by health-care workers when attending patients with pandemic influenza. Further work is being undertaken to consolidate these findings as they have important potential implications for the protection of health-care workers and the formulation of advice to households, nationally and internationally.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.hta.ac.uk/fullmono/mon1446.pdf#nameddest=article04

Year Published: 2010

URL for published report: http://www.hta.ac.uk/2225

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: England, United Kingdom

Organisation Name: NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme

Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK

Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk

Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk

Copyright: 2010 Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO