Droplet transmission

Droplet transmission is the spread of infectious agents when respiratory particles expelled by an infected person reach another person's eyes, nose, or mouth.

Respiratory droplets: Liquid particles expelled from the respiratory tract during breathing, speaking, coughing, or sneezing. These particles carry pathogens from an infected person's respiratory tract toward another person's mucous membranes.
Airborne transmission: The spread of infectious agents through particles that remain suspended in air and can be inhaled. It contrasts with classic droplet accounts that emphasize larger particles traveling short distances before deposition.
Face mask: A covering worn over the nose and mouth to reduce inhalation or emission of respiratory particles. Masks can reduce particles released by an infected person and particles inhaled by others.
Influenza: A contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Influenza can spread through infectious respiratory particles, especially during close interaction.
Mucous membrane: Moist tissue lining body passages and cavities, including the nose, mouth, and eyes. Respiratory particles can initiate infection when they deposit on these exposed tissues.
Contact transmission: The spread of infection through direct physical contact or contact with contaminated objects. Unlike droplet transmission, infection follows touch rather than direct deposition of expelled particles.
Physical distancing: Maintaining space between people to reduce opportunities for infectious exposure. Greater separation can reduce exposure to larger respiratory particles traveling over short distances.
COVID-19: An infectious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 transmission prompted extensive study of respiratory particles and indoor exposure.
Cough: A forceful expulsion of air from the lungs that helps clear the airways. Coughing can propel pathogen-containing respiratory particles into nearby air.
Fomite: An object or surface capable of carrying infectious agents between people. Respiratory droplets that settle on surfaces may contribute to indirect contact transmission.

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