Poor practices inclining shouting at hearing impaired residents, poor fitting of face masks and closed external doors and windows will lead to excess deaths in Aged Care. Solutions are simple.
Respiratory protection
1 Most health authorities consider droplet transmission to be important with influenza. If this is true, then height and high heels should give some protection.
Do tall people avoid the flu?
During a literacy project with 3 rural primary schools in Cambodia in October 2009, I saw several posters by the Australian Government on the walls of classrooms. The design of the mask is such that it would give the wearer very limited protection as the face mask would not seal […]
Face masks in Cambodia
CHOICE, the Australian Consumers Association contacted me about swine flu and but this ion their website on May 1 2009.
CHOICE on swine flu
A US Institute of Medicine task force has just reported on the use of PPE with the H1N1 Swine Flu. Of particular interest is early findings from Professor MacIntyre’s (University of New South Wales) study into PPE in Chinese hospitals Major findings of the task force from an occupational hygiene […]
US IOM Task Force reports on PPE with HINI Swine ...
The National Academies Press has a free download “Reusability of Facemasks During an Influenza Pandemic: Facing the Flu (2006)“. Unfortunately they see a huge need for more research in the area, so the advice tends to be a bit of a guess.
Reusing flu facemasks
CBS News in Canada has a disturbinbg video of the use use of Canadian chrysotile asbestos in India. No effective respiratory protection was seen to be used in the dusty workplace where asbestos was spun.
“Canada’s Ugly Secret”
Much could be learned about the spread of Swine Flu from the spread of the disease on the Pacific Dawn, which recently berthed in Sydney. For some reason the public health officials let passengers leave the ship and fly all over Australia. To me it would have been prudent to […]
Influenza, Cruise Ships and Air-conditioning
A recent paper MacIntyre, C. R., S. Cauchemez, et al. (2009). “Face Mask Use and Control of Respiratory Virus Transmission in Households.” Emerging Infectious Diseases 15(2): 233-241. is available from the CDC as free download Unfortunately, despite the warning
Surgical masks vs P2 (N95) respirators #2
Even though the WHO has renamed Swine Flu “Influenza A H1N1“, I suspect the popular name will remain Swine Flu. The National Academies Press have a number of books that can be downloaded for free as PDF files (you need to sign in with your email address) that are useful, […]