Interventions to prevent transmission of the common cold

Marie Van Driel, Chris B Del Mar

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Theoretically, there are several ways of preventing the common cold: quarantine, immunisation (or vaccination); early treatment of effected individuals; or physical barriers to reduce transmission. All these methods can be dismissed after considering the epidemiology of the common cold, apart from the last. Evidence for effectiveness for physical barriers (which include masks to reduce aerosol transmission; handwashing; and gloves and gowns) come from a variety of empirical studies. The chance of bias for these studies is variable, but we can conclude that all of these barrier methods have important potential for preventing transmission of the common cold, although some methods will not be acceptable to the community currently.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCommon cold
EditorsRonald Eccles, Olaf Weber
Place of PublicationBasel
PublisherBirkhauser Verlag Basel
Pages211-219
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9783764399122
ISBN (Print)9783764398941
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Publication series

Name Birkhäuser Advances in Infectious Diseases

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Interventions to prevent transmission of the common cold'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this