Abstract

The primary objective of this project is to document the presence of persistent viral aerosols in a care room, following the discharge of a patient infected with respiratory viruses to which sanitation workers could be exposed. Hospital rooms that have housed patients with respiratory diseases of a viral origin will be visited after the patient is discharged, but before maintenance personnel have initiated cleaning activities. Collaboration with the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will offer the research team access to the new samplers that will be used for sampling the air for five consecutive hours.
This exploratory study will provide a better understanding of viral propagation routes and identify transmission mechanisms for respiratory viruses, as well as allow the validation of the CDC/NIOSH samplers in an air evaluation context.