Knowra Aerosol transmission Aerosol transmission Aerosol transmission is the spread of infectious agents through inhalable particles suspended in air. It can occur across distances and times that depend on particle behavior, airflow, and ventilation.
Respiratory aerosols : Particles emitted from the respiratory tract by breathing, speaking, coughing, or sneezing. They carry pathogens into shared air and form the starting point of airborne spread.
Ventilation : The replacement or dilution of indoor air with outdoor or treated air. It lowers the concentration of infectious aerosols in occupied spaces.
Droplet transmission : The spread of infection through relatively large respiratory droplets that travel short distances before settling. It contrasts with smaller particles that can stay suspended and spread farther through air.
Measles : A highly contagious viral disease that causes fever and a characteristic rash. Its virus can remain infectious in air after an infected person leaves a space.
Aerosol physics : The study of particles suspended in gases, including their motion, growth, and removal. It explains how infectious particles remain airborne, disperse, and settle.
Air filtration : The removal of particles from air by passing it through a filtering medium. Filters can capture airborne infectious particles before they are inhaled.
Contact transmission : The spread of infection through direct physical contact or contaminated surfaces. It involves transfer by touch rather than inhalation of suspended particles.
Tuberculosis : An infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, usually affecting the lungs. It spreads through inhaled airborne particles released by people with pulmonary disease.
Evaporation : The transition of a liquid into vapor from its surface. Evaporation shrinks respiratory droplets and can leave smaller, longer-lived particles.
Respirator : A device that filters contaminants from air breathed by its wearer. A well-fitting respirator reduces inhalation of infectious aerosols.
Show all 21