Effect of Ultraviolet Irradiation of Air on Incidence of Infections in an Infants' Hospital

Historical Discoveries on Viruses in the Environment and Their Impact on Public Health

“…He concluded that "epidemic contagion is spread through the medium of confined atmospheres and can be prevented by radiant disinfection of air." After that, similar epidemiological studies were also performed in hospitals, with similar results obtained [41]. Similarly, a recent study performed in an elementary school in the USA reported that influenza virus genome was detectable in aerosols (10 1 -10 4 genome copies/m 3 air) sampled at different locations during the influenza season [42], suggesting that the air is an important vector for virus transmission in schools.…”

The History of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation for Air Disinfection

“…In 1941, Del Mundo and McKhann reported a difference in the infection rate of 12.5% in a control ward and 2.7% in a ward with UVGI barriers. 52 Parallel studies evaluating UVGI barriers reported successes similar to that in Boston, including both the reduction of respiratory cross-infections and the reduction of cross-cubicle spread of aerosolized test organisms. [53][54][55][56][57][58] Modifying the original experimental design, other studies of cross-infection in infant wards employed upper-room UVGI instead of light curtains.…”