From last winter to this spring, countless people have caught a cold, fever and cough, including Brother Yue, who has been coughing for a month, and now he is finally alive (Shanxi dialect: getting better). A friend asked: Brother Yue, I have a fever and bacterial infection recently, can the ventilator be used, and should it be disinfected?
That's a good question, I went to search for the information, and now I'll sort it out for you.
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Both bacteria and viruses can cause illness in humans, some of which are mildly irritating, while others can be fatal.
But what is the difference between bacteria and viruses?
Bacteria are usually much larger than viruses, sometimes up to 1000 times larger!Bacteria are also single-celled organisms that reproduce asexually and independently of other organisms. On the other hand, viruses need the help of living cells to multiply.
Common diseases caused by bacteria and viruses:
Infections can be caused by viruses and bacteria, but it's not always clear which disease is caused by what or how they spread.
Below, we've identified some of the most common infections and divided them into bacterial and viral infections. Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine whether the infection is bacterial or viral; In some cases, such as meningitis and pneumonia, it can be one of them.
| pneumonia | pneumonia |
| tuberculosis | rabies |
| colibacillus | Ebola |
| Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus | Zika virus |
| Listeria monocytogenes | HIV |
| Strep throat | poliomyelitis |
| Urinary tract infections (UTIs) | measles |
| tonsillitis | chickenpox |
| Sepsis (blood poisoning) | flu |
So now that we know that bacteria and viruses are fundamentally different, is there any difference in how long they survive outside the human body? Below, let's take a look at the most common bacteria and viruses, and their common survival rates outside the body......
common cold
How long it lasts:
Viruses can sometimes survive on indoor surfaces for more than a week, and in general, they can survive longer on non-porous surfaces. As a result, surfaces such as stainless steel and tiles hold viruses much longer than non-porous materials such as fabric or paper towels.
However, although common cold viruses have been shown to survive on the surface for several days, their ability to cause infections wanes rapidly; They usually don't cause an infection after 24 hours.
But how long can the cold virus survive on our hands?
Some viruses that cause the common cold only survive on the hands for a short time, and some only last a few minutes. However, about 40% of rhinoviruses (a common cold-causing virus) are still contagious after one hour.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a cold-like virus that can cause severe illness in children. It can survive up to six hours on countertops and doorknobs, 30-45 minutes on clothing and tissues, and up to 20 minutes on skin.
How it spreads:
The common cold can be transmitted between hands and surfaces and is extremely contagious. If you have the virus, you are contagious until all the symptoms are gone.
To avoid spreading it to others, make sure to wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water and try to trap germs with a tissue when you sneeze and/or cough, then throw them away immediately.
influenza virus
How long it lasts: While it's important to wash your hands regularly if you have the flu, it's also important not to neglect to clean surfaces around your house or building to help prevent its spread. The influenza virus can survive on a hard surface for 24 hours, during which time it can be transferred to the hand. Surprisingly, it only survives for about 15 minutes on a tissue and on your hands, which is a much shorter duration; After only five minutes, the level fell on hand. Influenza viruses can survive in the air for hours in the form of droplets, and low temperatures can increase their survival rate. Influenza can cause asthma in children and can survive for up to ten hours on hard, non-porous surfaces and four hours on porous materials. How it spreads:
The flu and the common cold are very similar, and it's often difficult to decide if you have one or the other. However, there are subtle differences, including the possibility of delivery. While the common cold has always been highly contagious at the time of symptoms, you're more likely to spread the flu virus within the first five days. However, you can avoid spreading it by following the same advice as a cold; Wash your hands often with warm, soapy water and throw a tissue in the trash immediately when you sneeze and cough.
gastropathy
How long do they last: Salmonella and Campylobacter survive on hard surfaces and fabrics for about one to four hours. However, norovirus and Clostridium difficile can survive longer. In fact, one study found that Clostridium difficile can survive for up to five months! Norovirus — which spreads through airborne droplets when someone vomits before landing on a surface — can survive on hard surfaces for days to weeks. E. coli can survive outside the human body for a few hours to a day. How they spread:
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not kill norovirus. You can get infected by getting close to the person who infected it, touching a surface contaminated with it and then touching your mouth, or by eating food prepared or handled by the person who has it. Hand hygiene with warm water and soap is essential to stop the spread of norovirus. E. coli is usually spread through feces that reach the mouth. Therefore, it is essential to wash your hands properly with warm water and soap before going to the toilet, handling animals, or preparing food.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
How long it lasts:
Staphylococcus aureus is a major culprit in wound infections, toxic shock syndrome, and MRSA. It forms spores that allow it to survive on the fabric for several weeks. MRSA bacteria can survive on surfaces for a longer period of time than other bacteria and viruses because they survive better without moisture. In general, MRSA bacteria survive better on hard surfaces, and any contaminated fabric should be washed with bleach at a temperature of at least 60°C. How it spreads:
MRSA lives harmlessly on the skin of about 1 in 30 people. You can get bacteria on your skin relatively easily; Touch someone with it, share a towel, sheet, or clothing with someone who has it, or touch a surface with it. However, just getting MRSA on your skin isn't enough to make you sick. Usually, it leaves your skin without you knowing you have it. This can be as fast as a few hours or it can take weeks. But to make you sick, it needs to penetrate deep into your skin, for example, through wounds or ulcers. HIV
How long it lasts:
HIV does not survive outside the body for long when it is in the air. Once the liquid leaves the body and is exposed to air, it quickly begins to dry up. This damages the virus, rendering it inactive. Once inactivated, the HIV virus "dies" and is no longer infectious. This can take a few hours. When HIV-containing bodily fluids leave the body and land on surfaces, the virus remains active in the bodily fluids for several days, even if the fluid is dry. The virus gradually dies over a period of days, however, it is important to note that the amount of virus capable of spreading the infection in such a small volume is negligible. However, HIV in syringes survives much longer. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the HIV virus can survive in a syringe for up to 42 days and under the right conditions. How it spreads:
HIV is found in the body fluids of infected people. This includes semen, vaginal and anal secretions, blood, and breast milk. HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat, urine, or saliva. In the UK, the most common way to get HIV is to have sex without using a condom. However, you can still get HIV by sharing needles, syringes, or other injecting devices, and it is possible to pass the virus from mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
Hepatitis A, B, and C
The hepatitis A virus can remain contagious for months and is highly contagious as it spreads to the mouth through feces. Hepatitis B is still contagious for up to a week and is transmitted through bodily fluids, so it is not as threatening as hepatitis A. Hepatitis C can survive outside the body for up to four days, but most experts believe that it usually survives for up to 16 hours at room temperature. Hepatitis C is also transmitted through body fluids.
Living in vitro
While viruses perform best on hard surfaces, bacteria are more likely to persist on porous materials. In general, bacteria are longer contagious than viruses. The length of time a bacterium survives outside the body depends on how different external conditions differ from its preferred environment, and whether the bacteria are able to produce spores. The spores can survive for a long time even under adverse conditions, such as the spores of anthrax bacteria can survive for decades or even hundreds of years.
What you can do to help prevent bacteria and viruses
As mentioned above, the most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of disease is to practice good hand hygiene with warm water and soap.
Hands should be washed for 20 seconds (about the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice) and hands should be washed:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before eating
- Before and after caring for the sick
- Before and after treating cuts or wounds
- After going to the toilet
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has gone to the toilet
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- After contact with animals, animal feed, or animal waste
- After handling pet food or pet treats
- After touching garbage
epilogue
The above is a piece of information collected by Brother Yue, you can refer to it. For the average ventilator user, the hard surface is actually the bottom of our humidifier, and the inner wall of the tubing and the porous material are equivalent to our mask silicone and headband. On the other hand, ventilator tubing, masks, headbands, and filter cotton can still be cleaned with neutral warm water + soap/hand sanitizer, which is also necessary, which can speed up the death of bacteria and viruses attached to it to a certain extent.
The biggest enemy of wearing a ventilator is the nose, because our sleep apnea users have the largest proportion of their practical nasal masks, and if the nose is not ventilated, it is actually uncomfortable to wear, and you can stop for two days and wait for the nose to basically ventilate before using it. But sometimes, even if people are uncomfortable, but the nose ventilation is good, just continue to use it! Thank you to our users for asking such high-quality questions! We share knowledge together, make progress together, and be healthy together!
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The whole network is looking for: Brother Yue, a ventilator craftsman, is still relatively easy to find us.