Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters this morning.
Airborne diseases are always something to look out for.
Sommer said, “They’re always around. They’re these invisible viruses and bacteria that float around that you don’t even know were there.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a report that transforms how the world understands respiratory infections.
Sommer said, “The World Health Organization and the CDC are, I don’t know if they’re fighting or they’re in disagreement. I was reading this and I had to read it several times, because it kind of is a common sense thing about how airborne diseases spread, but I guess because COVID was a lot of arguing back and forth of how to protect yourself from the spread, was it airborne? No, it wasn’t airborne, wear masks, don’t wear a mask, what type of mask to wear? So basically, the WHO is saying that viruses and bacteria can live in the air and yes, if you’re up in front real close with somebody, the droplets can get in your mouth, your nose or wherever, and you’re going to get the virus more than maybe somebody else who’s standing at the corner of the room. But it can live in the air and it can transport and if you don’t have good ventilation, it could be a problem.”
The WHO is saying airborne transmission occurs as sick people exhale pathogens that remain suspended in the air.
Sommer said they are “really pushing for the N 95 mask. The CDC said you can wear a surgical mask. I guess that was how we became in the mask era and there’s a lot of arguing back and forth of whether how surgical masks are they really effective or not?”
Can masks help with viruses?
Sommer said, “What we’ve said, I mean, as a health care worker when you put a surgical mask on, there’s holes. I mean, it’s a deterrent. I always say that a mask is a deterrent. If somebody’s wearing one, either they have something or they’re afraid of something so just keep your distance from them and keeping your distance is a good idea when somebody is sick, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not floating in the air. You and I, we’re in this room now. Somebody could have been in here before coughing and hacking and we would have never known. If the ventilation isn’t good, it hangs out for a while.”
Masks might be a consideration for the newest virus, measles.
Sommer said, “Masks kind of to me became, a mask during the pandemic was like a pacifier to a toddler. Because they needed something to pacify the mass hysteria. It became a security measure. So now it’s like trying to take the pacifier away from the toddler and telling them no, you’ve got to live without it, trying to get the public to understand that masks are a deterrent, but they’re not a cure. The virus or the bacteria is bigger than something that we can really prevent. We just need to try and control it.”
Will other health care organizations accept the new recommendations on ventilation?
Sommer predicted, “It’s going to be a battle. It’s just trying to educate the public and do what’s best for the health care workers and for people who become the patient. But really, truly, and I bring this up all the way down at the bottom of this is Florence Nightingale, way back when said, I mean, she really was the pinnacle during I guess it was the Crimean War, she went in to this hospital where the soldiers were and they were they were dying more from dysentery and typhus and typhoid from uncleanly conditions. She basically said, you need to open the windows and let light in to circulate the air. So it’s more like a combination of everything, which to me is like common sense.”
The answer could be a combination of preventative measures.
Sommer said, “That’s all we can do, because viruses and bacteria, it’s like when you’re crossing the street and a car is coming, you know not to run into the street. When it comes to viruses and bacteria, you can’t see them. So it’s a fear of what’s lurking and it’s harder to control because you can’t see it.”
The CDC report differs from the WHO.
Sommer said, “It’s not who do you trust, but to me, it’s just common sense. It all plays together. So work together to fix the problem.”
If ventilation needs to be increased in health care facilities, money could be an issue for some providers.
Sommer said, “What do I say? Life is like a Picasso; it is priceless. So money shouldn’t be an issue if that’s what the answer is. But it could be. I was thinking about this years ago to prior to central air conditioning you had to open your windows and so if there was a breeze, it was kind of like you aired out your house. More and more we live in confined quarters, using circulated air.”
A rise in measles has been seen recently.
Sommer said, “For measles, there’s a vaccination for that. So there is a roadblock in place.”
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