THURSDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- People suffering from the flu can give off small virus particles into the air at greater distances than previously thought, putting the health care workers who treat these patients at increased risk for getting the virus themselves, researchers report.
The investigators, from Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, suggest that more studies are needed on how the flu is spread. Infection-control guidelines for health care providers may also need to be updated to help these workers protect their health.
The study was published in the current edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
"Our study offers new evidence of the natural emission of influenza and may provide a better understanding of how to best protect health care providers during routine care activities," the researchers, led by Dr. Werner Bischoff, wrote in the report.
For the study, Bischoff's team screened 94 patients with flu symptoms who were admitted to the emergency department or inpatient care unit of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center during the 2010-2011 flu season. Health care providers at this hospital are required to get a flu shot, the researchers pointed out in a Wake Forest news release.
The investigators also collected air samples within one foot, three feet and six feet of the patients screened. As the air samples were taken, no aerosol-generating procedures -- such as bronchoscopy, intubation or CPR -- were performed. The researchers also recorded the number of times the patients coughed or sneezed and rated the severity of these symptoms. The patients also answered questions about their condition and how long they had been sick.
The study authors found that 65 percent of the patients tested positive for the flu. Of these people, 43 percent released particles containing the virus into the air. Those who emitted the highest levels of the flu virus into the air reported
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