linnugripiblog

This time, I'll wear a mask. N95 if I've got them, surgical masks if nothing else available. I'll wear latex gloves. If they are in short supply, I'll use alcohol sanitizers in between hand washings. And, of course, I'll put a mask on any patients I'm in close contact with.

To become infected with the flu, you need to be within `coughing distance' of an infected patient, or pick up the virus from a fomite, an inanimate object such as a door knob, telephone, or shopping cart handle.

Fomites can be disinfected by a 10:1 water/bleach solution, or by using lysol 3%. A 60% alcohol solution will also kill the flu virus.

The Flu virus does not remain airborne over long distances. It has never been shown to be carried thru ventilation systems, for instance. This is not a biosafety level 4 pathogen like ebola.

For most people, staying 10 to 20 feet away from an infected person is probably a safe distance. Indoors, sharing `common air' in a larger room, might entail some risk. But masks will greatly reduce the threat.

There is no such thing as a zero risk scenario. But by using proper infection control, the risks can be managed.