VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Katarzyna Banaszczyk

Sneezing and coughing are the activities that most often lead to airborne transmission of the infection. There are microbes in the discharge from the nasopharynx of a sick person that can be inhaled by another person, leading to transmission of infection. What diseases can spread by airborne droplets? How can we minimize the risk of infection?

Diseases transmitted by airborne dropletsare not only flu and colds. They also include a number of other conditions, including infectious diseases. Meet the most important of them.

Flu - what should you know about it?

Flu is a seasonal viral infection caused by flu viruses. The influenza virus comes in different types and subtypes. Massive illness of influenza in people causes types A and B of this virus.

Influenza viruses mutate rapidly, so there is a need to modify the flu vaccine every year. The incubation period, i.e. the time from infection until the first symptoms of the disease appear in the case of influenza, is from 1 to 4 days.

A patient with the flu is contagious to the environment within one day before the onset of the symptoms of the disease and usually up to five days after the onset of these symptoms.

Flu - symptoms of the disease

Be aware that up to half of all flu cases may be asymptomatic.

Symptomatic flu comes with the onset of symptoms that typically appear suddenly and include:

  • fever and chills,
  • headaches and muscle aches,
  • sore throat,
  • rhinitis,
  • dry, tiring cough - these symptoms usually appear three days after the onset of the disease,
  • sometimes nausea and diarrhea.

Influenza may be slightly different in the elderly - weakness and disturbance of consciousness may appear, without typical general symptoms such as fever or chills.

It should be mentioned here that the flu carries the risk of serious complications (such as pneumonia, meningitis, encephalitis, and myocarditis), which only emphasizes the importance of vaccination against influenza .

We can implement them now, yetbefore the flu season and protect yourself against the possibility of these complications. We can get vaccinated against flu from the age of 6 months!

Tuberculosis - a disease that can keep coming back

Another droplet-borne disease is caused by bacteria from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex group, more commonly known as tuberculosis mycobacteria. A person coughing in our environment can pass on to us mycobacteria, which we inhalate and which will infect the cells of our body.

Whether we develop symptoms of the disease depends primarily on the condition of our immune system.

Tuberculosis may remain in the human body in a so-called latent manner and lead to the appearance of infection symptoms when the immunity is weakened.

Be aware that tuberculosis attacks not only our respiratory system, but can also damage other organs.

In fact, tuberculosis can attack every organ of the human body, including the brain, heart, lymph nodes, bones, joints, as well as the digestive and genitourinary systems.

We are effectively protected against tuberculosis and its complications by the vaccine, which is currently administered to newborns in the first 24 hours of their lives, even before discharge from the ward.

Infectious erythema - the so-called "fifth disease"

Another disease that is transmitted through airborne droplets is infectious erythema. The cause of the disease is infection with Parvovirus B19, which is also transmitted through the placenta, which means that in many cases it is also a threat to the fetus.

The hatching period of infectious erythema is typically from 4 to even 14 days. Importantly, a patient suffering from infectious erythema ceases to be infectious at the time of skin rash.

Infectious erythema - clinical symptoms

It is worth getting acquainted with the characteristic symptoms of this infectious disease. In the initial stage, we deal with the so-called precursor symptoms, reminiscent of a typical infection of the upper respiratory tract, which include:

  • rhinitis,
  • pharyngitis,
  • fever,
  • headaches and muscle aches,
  • sometimes also nausea.

After a week, a skin rash appears, which takes the form of erythematous changes (i.e. severe redness) and covers the cheeks, avoiding the area around the mouth and nose. Then the skin lesions go down to the upper limbs, lower limbs and torso, without however occupying the soles and hands. The changes begin to take a garlanded shape - which means that they resemble lace or mesh.

It's worth itto mention that we do not have vaccination against infectious erythematosus. Typically, the disease recovers without complications, but more attention should be paid to people with immunodeficiency.

Cold disease - the most common infectious disease

The name of a cold disease is inflammation of the nasopharynx, and sometimes also of the paranasal sinuses caused by viruses. There are over 200 viruses known to cause common colds.

These include, for example:

  • rhinoviruses - these viruses are the most common cause of colds,
  • coronavirus,
  • influenza and parainfluenza viruses,
  • RS virus - the so-called syncytial virus, also responsible for causing bronchiolitis,
  • adenoviruses,
  • enteroviruses.

A common cold is spread by droplets, and after viruses enter the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract (e.g. nose or throat), viruses multiply and spread infections within the respiratory system.

The hatching period of a cold typically lasts up to 2 days, the patient is most contagious in the first three days of illness.

Cold - clinical symptoms

The symptoms of colds are certainly well known to us. They mainly include:

  • feeling unwell,
  • headaches,
  • muscle aches,
  • fever, typically not very high,
  • sneezing and runny nose - initially watery, after a few days the discharge may become thick and take on a greenish color, but you should be aware that this is not a bacterial infection and is not an indication for antibiotic administration,
  • pain, redness in the throat,
  • cough - it's usually dry at first, then turns into a wet, productive cough.

COVID -19 - our current problem

The disease that is currently the most talked about is also transmitted by airborne droplets. It is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which has become the cause of a worldwide pandemic. The hatching period of this infection can be from 2 to even 14 days, but most often it lasts 5 days.

Symptoms of the coronavirus can certainly be mentioned by most of us, the most common of them are:

  • fever,
  • persistent cough,
  • rhinitis,
  • sore throat,
  • headaches and muscle aches,
  • taste and smell disorders,
  • conjunctivitis,
  • diarrhea,
  • nausea,
  • vomiting.

Although the course of most patients is asymptomatic or mild, up to 15% of patients will develop severeCOVID-19 form with accompanying dyspnea.

In turn, in 5% of patients the course may be very serious and include acute respiratory failure, and consequently multi-organ failure and death of the patient.

COVID-19 - immunization

Fortunately, we have a vaccine for this condition. Although many of us believe that such a quickly developed preparation may be dangerous or ineffective, research has shown that vaccines against COVID-19 are very effective in preventing severe infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

In many places of vaccination, the dates are available almost immediately. Population immunization is the easiest way to fight the pandemic and mass infections.

Diphtheria - the so-called diphtheria

This disease before the vaccine era caused numerous deaths among children. It is a bacterial disease caused by coryneform diphtheria, which is transmitted not only by airborne droplets, but also through direct contact - e.g. with the secretion of the patient's respiratory tract.

Diphtheria corynea is capable of producing a special bacterial toxin that damages the respiratory tract, and more specifically its epithelium, which leads to the appearance of grayish pseudo-membranes on their surface. The diphtheria hatching period is usually 2-4 days.

Diphtheria in unvaccinated people can lead to complications such as:

  • damage to the heart valves,
  • myocarditis,
  • heart rhythm disturbance
  • or paralysis of peripheral nerves (which is manifested, for example, by sensory disorders or respiratory disorders).
  • Moreover, respiratory obstruction (due to the formation of pseudo-membranes) and subsequent fatal respiratory failure may occur.

Diphtheria is another disease, the consequences of which can be avoided thanks to the diphtheria vaccination, which is included in the preventive vaccination schedule and is a mandatory vaccination.

Measles - a disease that comes back

Unfortunately, more and more cases of this infectious disease are recorded in Poland every year. Numerous migrations, as well as movements of opponents of immunization, contribute significantly to this phenomenon.

Measles is caused by a virus, it is very, almost 100% contagious. Although most of us may be associated only with fever, infectious symptoms and skin rash, this condition may be associated with the appearance of serious complications, which include:

  • encephalomyelitis-spinal,
  • pneumonia,
  • otitis media,
  • myocarditis,
  • inflammation of the optic nerve, which may lead to blindness,
  • subacute sclerosing encephalitis - a very serious and dangerous neurological complication, which ends in the patient's death. This complication is significantly more common in the case of suffering from measles under the age of 2,
  • disclosure of latent tuberculosis - which results from the weakening of the body and immune system as a result of developing measles.

Measles - immunization

It is worth reminding about the validity of preventive vaccinations against measles. In Poland, this vaccination is combined with the mumps and rubella vaccination.

It is a vaccine characterized by great effectiveness, thanks to which we are protected against serious complications of falling ill with this infectious disease.

Drip-borne diseases - how to prevent them?

How can we protect ourselves from infections that are transmitted by airborne droplets? The sanitary rules that have already been in force and are in force due to the risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus will work perfectly.

Remember about:

  • keeping distance from people sneezing and coughing,
  • washing hands thoroughly and frequently,
  • in relation to the COVID-19 disease - compliance with the recommendations that minimize the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, i.e. using protective masks in closed public spaces, disinfecting hands, keeping distance in public places,
  • preventive vaccinations - we can protect ourselves against the severe course and complications of COVID-19 disease, but also flu, diphtheria and measles.

Also, don't forget how important variation, a he althy diet and daily physical activity are for your immunity. It is also worth remembering about vitamin D supplementation in the period from September to April, when we are particularly exposed to its deficiency.

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