The risk of airborne influenza transmission in passenger cars

Abstract

SUMMARYTravel in passenger cars is a ubiquitous aspect of the daily activities of many people. During the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic a case of probable transmission during car travel was reported in Australia, to which spread via the airborne route may have contributed. However, there are no data to indicate the likely risks of such events, and how they may vary and be mitigated. To address this knowledge gap, we estimated the risk of airborne influenza transmission in two cars (1989 model and 2005 model) by employing ventilation measurements and a variation of the Wells–Riley model. Results suggested that infection risk can be reduced by not recirculating air; however, estimated risk ranged from 59% to 99·9% for a 90-min trip when air was recirculated in the newer vehicle. These results have implications for interrupting in-car transmission of other illnesses spread by the airborne route.

Time Trends in Pediatric Hospitalizations for Varicella Infection Are Associated with Climatic Changes: A 22-Year Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Greek Referral Center

“…The observed epidemiological changes in the time trends of pediatric hospitalized varicella cases may be attributed to climatic changes in the region. It is hypothesized that time trends in the epidemiology of pediatric hospitalized cases for other infectious diseases which are similarly transmitted through indirect airborne transmission, such as influenza [29], may have also been affected by modifications in climatic variables [27], [28]. Therefore, public health interventions targeted at diminishing such infectious diseases among pediatric populations in the region should also account for the potential notable effects of modification of climatic variables upon the epidemiology of disease attributable hospitalizations [26].…”

Evaluation of intervention measures for respiratory disease transmission on cruise ships

“…A value of q ¼ 66.91 quanta h À1 has commonly been used. 27,29,30 The present study used both q ¼ 66.91 quanta h À1 and the lowest value shown in Table 1, q ¼ 15 quanta h À1 .…”

Airborne Infectious Agents and Other Pollutants in Automobiles for Domestic Use: Potential Health Impacts and Approaches to Risk Mitigation

“…The report by Knibbs et al [46] is the only published one dealing with influenza viruses and their possible airborne spread inside cars. They modelled virus spread in view of a suspected case of influenza spread during car travel in Australia [47].…”