The recent H1N1 pandemic has highlighted the importance of identifying public health measures which can help to mitigate flu virus transmission. Researchers conducted a prospective cluster-randomized trial to test whether improved hand hygiene or surgical face masks could reduce the spread of flu within households.

The researchers studied 407 people with flu-like symptoms who visited one of 45 outpatient clinics across Hong Kong within 48 hours of symptom onset, had rapid tests that confirmed infection with influenza A or B, and lived in a household with at least two other individuals, none of whom had reported flu symptoms in the preceding 14 days. The flu patients plus their household members were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control, control plus enhanced hand hygiene, and control plus enhanced hand hygiene plus face masks.

The researchers found that hand hygiene and face masks appeared to be effective at preventing household transmission of the flu virus only when implemented within 36 hours of symptom onset. These findings have important public health implications, as they suggest that non-pharmaceutical interventions can reduce flu transmission if implemented early after symptom onset.

Source:
Angela Collom
American College of Physicians