Natural ventilation for the prevention of airborne contagion

Protective measures against transmission of airborne infections, such as negative-pressure isolation rooms, are difficult to implement in resource-limited settings. So natural ventilation may offer a low-cost alternative. For that study carried out in 8 hospitals in Lima (Peru), in 70 naturally ventilated clinical rooms, the authors investigated the rates, determinants and effects of natural ventilation in such health care settings. Their results and conclusions are presented.