GMS Hygiene and Infection Control (Jul 2022)

How ventilation behaviour contributes to seasonality in airborne disease transmission

  • Redder, Christian

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3205/dgkh000414
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17
p. Doc11

Abstract

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User behaviour for natural ventilation is known to be strongly corelated to outdoor temperatures. In areas of moderate climate, this leads to an increased fresh air supply in summer, which reduces the exposure level towards airborne pathogens. Modelling of numerous random exposure situations in household, school and various settings, based on the long-term climate data from Berlin, showed that this effect is likely to contribute significantly to the overall seasonality of airborne diseases.

Keywords