Research findings from nonpharmaceutical intervention studies for pandemic influenza and current gaps in the research

Stress, adherence to preventive measures for reducing influenza transmission and influenza-like illness

“…Also, we observed that men reported having an 18% lower likelihood of optimal hand washing compared to women—a finding consistent with the literature 21 23. Strategies aimed at improving hand washing is critical, particularly in the community setting because viral transmission is much greater in groups of people living in close proximity to each other 36. One recommendation that may lessen the observed gender disparity is to increase educational materials, such as posters and signs in bathrooms, within residence halls that aim to promote awareness of hand washing in mitigating the spread of infectious illness.…”

Facemasks and intensified hand hygiene in a German household trial during the 2009/2010 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic: adherence and tolerability in children and adults

“…Hand hygiene was promoted through television spots, leaflets and other means during the 2009 influenza pandemic and even earlier, so that the role of hand hygiene in the prevention of influenza may have become common knowledge and practice. As ' washing one's hands ' is also an intervention perceived as a typical daily behaviour by the general public, participants 'only ' needed to increase frequency and be more vigilant in situations where hand hygiene may be beneficial [11]. As noted above, it is also possible that participants provided responses which they assumed to be desirable or ' correct '.…”

Influenza Virus Contamination of Common Household Surfaces during the 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic in Bangkok, Thailand: Implications for Contact Transmission

“…In contrast, immediate reductions in influenza have been observed from experimentally inoculated hands [18,20]. Washing has been demonstrated to effectively reduce influenza virus on hands, but its effects on influenza transmission have been limited, and the impact of hand washing on household surface contamination has not been adequately described [20][21][22][23].…”