12/22/2009 - News
Wash Your Hands to Reduce Household Flu Transmission
By: June Chen, MD
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Data regarding the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical protective measures, such as wearing a facemask or practicing good hand hygiene, for preventing the transmission of the flu virus are scarce. According to an article released early in Annals of Internal Medicine on August 4, 2009, facemasks and hand hygiene seem to prevent household transmission of flu virus.
An international group of researchers, including scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studied 407 people in Hong Kong who presented to outpatient clinics with flu-like symptoms who were positive for influenza virus and 794 household members. The household members were randomized to one of three groups – lifestyle education, hand hygiene, or surgical facemasks plus hand hygiene – in order to investigate the effects of these interventions on household flu transmission. The researchers found that 8% of household contacts in the 259 households studied had confirmed flu virus infection in the 7 days after the intervention. Hand hygiene, both alone and in combination with facemask use, seemed to reduce flu transmission, but the differences in transmission compared to the lifestyle education group were not statistically significant.
It seemed that hand hygiene and facemask use were particularly effective in reducing flu infections when these interventions were implemented within 36 hours of when the initial flu patient began experiencing symptoms. During a pandemic, it might be necessary to isolate flu-infected individuals within the home to prevent flu spread, so simple protective measures such as good hand washing and facemask use may be necessary to prevent flu infection.
Source:
Ann Intern Med. Early-Release Article 4 August 2009.
Created on: 08/21/2009
Reviewed on: 12/22/2009
Reviewed on: 12/22/2009
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Great article highlighting some key facts and figures in relation to washing hands and the spread of bacteria.
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