Airborne disease

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Infections, in which the agent exits the source from the upper respiratory tract, from which infected droplets fly out when sneezing, coughing or talking.

• Infections are caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites.
• The source of the disease is usually a person, an animal, the external environment (legionella, fungi).

Spread of infection

The size of the droplets matters when the infection spreads:

• droplets larger than 100 μm fall to the ground and get dry – they form contaminated dust that can be inhaled or enter the body through contact,
• droplets smaller than 100 μm remain in the air,
• very small droplets smaller than 5 μm dry immediately, remain in the air for a very long time - when inhaled, they reach the alveoli and the defense mechanism of the ciliated epithelium is not used against them.

Infections are usually transmitted:

1. Directly – droplet transmission - direct air transmission at a distance of 1-1.5 m. Acute respiratory infections(influenza, parainfluenza, coronavirus, etc.) prefer this method of transmission.
2. Indirectly – through contaminated objects, it depends on the size of the droplet – small ones fly further (by air currents away from the source of infection), large ones fall (infectious dust).

Clinical manifestations

1. Upper and lower respiratory tract infections – (acute respiratory disease, pertussis, diphtheria, pulmonary tuberculosis) – runny nose, cough, sore throat.
2. Infections outside the respiratory tract – multiplication in the upper respiratory tract, through the lymphatic route to the blood and organs – rash diseases (varicella, measles, rubella, scarlet fever), mumps, meningitis.

Occurrence

Worldwide, seasonal in the temperate zone, influenza - autumn, winter, spring.

The most common airborne diseases

Viruses

• Mononucleosis (EB virus),
• chicken pox (shingles),
• mumps, rubella, measles,
• acute respiratory diseases – influenza (shift, drift changes), parainfluenza, adenoviruses, RS viruses, rheoviruses, rhinoviruses, coxsackie, echoviruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae – mainly in weakened individuals.

Bacteria

• TBC (Mycobakterium tuberculosis),
• diphtheria (Corynebakterium diphteriae),
• pertussis, parapertussis (Bordatella pertussis,parapertussis),
• haemophilus B – epiglottitis, meningitis,
• meningococci (Neisserie meningitis) – 20% of bacillus carriers, spread in closed collectives,
• streptococci (Streptococcus pneumoniae,Str. pyogenes) – angina, scarlet fever, pneumonia,
• legionella – source - external environment (water, construction dust, dried mud), transmission - aspiration of dust, aerosol, in weakened people or e.g. alcoholics manifests itself as Legionnaires' disease – 20 % mortality (pneumonia), air-conditioned rooms are a danger. A milder form is Pontiac fever – it manifests itself with flu-like symptoms and lasts for 3-4 days. The affair in our country that drew attention to this infection - IKEM in Krč, a transplant center where 6 patients died after surgery, got infected from instant drinks (tap water) - today only bottled water is used there.

Epidemiological measures

Mostly non-specific, mainly trying to prevent airborne infection, proper lifestyle, vitamins, exercise.

Prevention

The main prevention is vaccination, currently vaccinations are given against the following airborne diseases:

• as a part of regular vaccinations – diphtheria, pertussis, haemophilus B, measles, rubella, mumps,
• on request – influenza, meningococcus, pneumococcus, TBC.

Links

References

• SCHEJBALOVÁ, M. Epidemiologie infekčních onemocnění. Přednáška pro studenty 1. LF UK. Ústav hygieny a epidemiologie 1. LF UK.