Effectiveness of precautions against droplets and contact in prevention of nosocomial transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

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3 May 2003, Volume 361, Issue 9368 Pages 1519-1520
Effectiveness of precautions against droplets and contact in prevention of nosocomial transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

W H Seto Send E-mail to Author a *, D Tsang b, RWH Yung c, T Y Ching a, T K Ng d, M Ho e, L M Ho f, JSM Peiris g 1 and Advisors of Expert SARS group of Hospital Authority

Abstract
We did a case-control study in five Hong Kong hospitals, with 241 non-infected and 13 infected staff with documented exposures to 11 index patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) during patient care. All participants were surveyed about use of mask, gloves, gowns, and hand-washing, as recommended under droplets and contact precautions when caring for index patients with SARS. 69 staff who reported use of all four measures were not infected, whereas all infected staff had omitted at least one measure (p=0·0224). Fewer staff who wore masks (p=0·0001), gowns (p=0·006), and washed their hands (p=0·047) became infected compared with those who didn't, but stepwise logistic regression was significant only for masks (p=0·011). Practice of droplets precaution and contact precaution is adequate in significantly reducing the risk of infection after exposures to patients with SARS. The protective role of the mask suggests that in hospitals, infection is transmitted by droplets.

Affiliations
a Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
b Department of Microbiology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
c Department of Microbiology, Pamela Nethersole Youde Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
d Department of Microbiology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
e Department of Microbiology, Kwong Wah Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
f Department of Community Medicine, University of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
g Department of Microbiology, University of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.

 * Correspondence to: Dr W H Seto, Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China 

 

Source

Elsevier Science Inc.

© 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd

 

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