|
Doin fine
Industry Role:
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 24,983
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Libertine
I'll take that to mean that no, you have no idea whatsoever of how it works.
So I'll go ahead and explain it.
When an infected person sneezes, coughs into his hand, wipes his nose, etc., he contaminates things for the period of time the virus can stay alive outside of the human body. Now, this can cause him to directly infect someone else, or - what you are focusing on - cause an indirect infection.
While indirect infections are indeed a risk, they're limited by the fact that outside of a living body, the virus won't stay alive for all that long. Moreover, because the virus does not have any cells to use to replicate itself, no new viral particles are being created.
So if someone infected with the flu goes all around a hospital, sneezing and coughing everyhwhere, if he fails to infect anyone it won't be long before the virus has died off again and everything is safe once more.
However, if he does infect some people, they will also start spreading the virus around.
And that's where vaccinations come in. By vaccinating health care workers, you greatly increase chances that the virus from one patient will die off before it gets the chance to infect someone else. And keep in mind that the flu virus, for example, only stays alive for a few minutes on human skin.
It's the same concept as herd immunity: the lower the chances of a person infecting someone else, the lower the chances of a full-blown outbreak. Because outbreaks depend on each case of infection causing one or more additional cases of infection before ending.
Now, if health care workers simply get vaccinated and follow proper protocol, chances of the infection being spread are quite small. Sure, a few infected patients might infect a few others, but there's a decent chance that there's enough distance in space and time between contact with infected individuals and susceptible individuals to prevent infections from spreading out.
On the other hand, without vaccinations, health care workers themselves can actually become sources of infection rather than just uninfected short-term carriers. You don't need to be an immunologist to see just how much more likely and how much faster that makes the spread of infections.
|
Yup...
Quote:
How long can the H1N1 virus live on environmental surfaces?
The influenza virus can live for 2-8 hours on surfaces such as books and doorknobs. Viruses can be spread when a person touches a contaminated surface like a desk, for example, and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands. Therefore the best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently, and to keep your hands away from your eyes, mouth and nose.
|
http://www.des.umd.edu/biosafety/rest/h1n1.html#seven
Quote:
How long can the virus live on a countertop or other surface?
The virus can live on hard surfaces for at least several hours and possibly more than a day. For that reason, it is important that you wash your hands after coughing or sneezing to avoid passing on the virus.
|
http://www.doh.wa.gov/H1N1/h1n1_faq.htm
Quote:
How long can a virus like novel H1N1 live on a surface outside its host?
The H1N1 virus is new. Research is being conducted to better understand its characteristics. Studies have shown that flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces and can infect a person for up to 2 to 8 hours after being left on items like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.
Flu viruses may be spread when a person touches droplets left by coughs and sneezes on hard surfaces (such as desks or door knobs) or objects (such as keyboards or pens) and then touches his or her mouth or nose. But, routine cleaning will kill these germs.
Until a vaccine is available, the best way to help fight novel H1N1 influenza (flu) is to cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue away. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Stay home if you're sick, and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
|
http://answers.flu.gov/questions/3943
Thank God it dies nearly instantly when outside of a living body.. phew. A mere 8 hours.
Im sure its unlikely that more than 1 person would touch say a doorknob, or a chair, etc, etc in a 2 to 8 hour span.. Especially in a public health facility like say an emergency room, or a doctors office. They usually only get like 2 people there a day...
Good thing people don't do things like read magazines or stuff like that while waiting to be examined... phew..
What medical school do you currently attend? Im glad we have brilliant medical students such as you that can give sound advice to the members of gfy like .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Libertine
While indirect infections are indeed a risk, they're limited by the fact that outside of a living body, the virus won't stay alive for all that long. Moreover, because the virus does not have any cells to use to replicate itself, no new viral particles are being created.
|
Sound sound advice....  |