There is already a lot of evidence that this virus is being spread largely through the air, and that clean air matters a lot more than clean hands and surfaces (Yes, do wash your hands as well. Don't expect it to really dent the numbers of cases or deaths).
It seems like the UK has in the last couple of months cottoned on to the importance of ventilating rooms as much as possible. However, it appears that there is very little talk about the benefits of humidifying rooms as well.
www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201013/k10012661241000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_003
This is just a sample, but the study here in Japan found that the spread of the virus is increased around three-fold in dry air versus humidified air. This is actually no surprise, because variations on this theme have long been noted in the scientific literature. For other seasonal viruses (influenza, colds etc.) as well as many other viral infections like measles, viral spread is greatly reduced when the air is humidified.
Is humidity the key to staying healthy?
www.boston25news.com/news/is-humidity-the-key-to-staying-healthy-/1012463681/
This Inexpensive Action Lowers Hospital Infections And Protects Against Flu Season (this article discusses the mechanism by which humidity reduces the spread of viral particles)
www.forbes.com/sites/leahbinder/2019/10/17/harvard-researcher-says-this-inexpensive-action-will-lower-hospital-infection-rates-and-protect-us-for-the-flu-season/#3b398a4a1824
While all those factors had modest influence, one factor stood out above them all, and it shocked the research team. The one factor most associated with infection was (drum roll): dry air. At low relative humidity, indoor air was strongly associated with higher infection rates. “When we dry the air out, droplets and skin flakes carrying viruses and bacteria are launched into the air, traveling far and over long periods of time. The microbes that survive this launching tend to be the ones that cause healthcare-associated infections,” said Taylor. “Even worse, in addition to this increased exposure to infectious particles, the dry air also harms our natural immune barriers which protect us from infections."
Since that study was published, there is now more research in peer-reviewed literature observing a link between dry air and viral infections, such as the flu, colds and measles, as well as many bacterial infections, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding more research. Taylor finds one of the most interesting studies from a team at the Mayo Clinic, which humidified half of the classrooms in a preschool and left the other half alone over three months during the winter. Influenza-related absenteeism in the humidified classrooms was two-thirds lower than in the standard classrooms—a dramatic difference. Taylor says this study is important because its design included a control group: the half of classrooms without humidity-related intervention.
Humidifiers are expensive, but fortunately, there are plenty of free, low-tech ways to humidify rooms. Should we not be talking about this--especially vis-a-vis schools?
www.diynetwork.com/made-and-remade/learn-it/6-ways-to-humidify-your-house-without-using-a-humidifier
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Seems no-one in the UK is talking about the need to HUMIDIFY air
33 replies
Kokeshi123 · 24/10/2020 14:51
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