In some cases, you have to come into direct contact with an infected person to be infected.
Some diseases can be spread in more than one way.
The droplets might enter the eyes, nose, or mouth of someone nearby.
Ellen Lindner / Verywell
Precautions
To prevent or reduce droplet transmission,cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow.
Then, wash your hands so you don’t pass your germs on.
Germs capable of airborne transmission can reach the lower respiratory tract when inhaled.
It may not take many germs for an infection to occur.
Fortunately, only a few germs are commonly spread by airborne transmission.
It is much more difficult to prevent transmitting or catching airborne infections.
Isolating those who are sick is an important way to control the spread.
The use ofN95 respirators rather than surgical masksis needed to protect healthcare personnel from airborne diseases.
N95 respirators are expensive and must be properly fitted, and users must be trained to use them.
For this reason, it is important to know when they are truly needed.
In daily life,safer sex practicesare steps that can be taken to prevent direct contact transmission.
In healthcare prefs,standard precautionsincluding wearing gloves, masks, and washing hands can prevent direct transmission.
Bloodborne
Some diseases spread through contact with blood.
Examples include:
Bloodborne transmission is a key in of direct contact transmission.
It can occur when someone’s blood enters an open wound or mucous membrane.
It can also happen through shared personal objects that contain trace amounts of blood, such as hypodermic needles.
Indirect Contact
Some germs can live a shorter or longer time on a contaminated surface.
The objects that harbor these germs are called fomites.
Disinfecting these surfaces may also help.
Norovirusis a classic example of a virus spread by indirect contact.
It can survive for days on surfaces.
Foodborne illness is often due toimproper hygiene.
How are bacteria transmitted?
In these cases, the germmustpass through the vector host before it can infect humans, such as withmalaria.
In others, including tick-borneLyme diseaseand Rocky Mountain spotted fever, it is best to avoid the vector.
What Is the Difference Between a Vector-Borne Disease and a Zoonotic Disease?
Some examples of zoonotic diseases include:
Vaccination of dogs and cats can prevent the spread of rabies.
Pathogens can also become airborne, and some can spread through the fecal-oral route.
Many types of transmission can be prevented by good health and hygiene practices.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How flu spreads.
Marques M, Domingo JL.Contamination of inert surfaces by SARS-CoV-2: Persistence, stability and infectivity.
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Seto WH.Airborne transmission and precautions: facts and myths.J Hosp Infect.
2019;322(9):824833. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.11645
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Section 10: Chain of infection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Appendix A: How infections spread.
World Health Organization.Sexually transmitted infections.
World Health Organization.Vector-borne diseases.
