Viral diseases|The cycles of illness are familiar to the families of many children of kindergarten age. According to a recent study, the incidence of illness could be reduced by almost a fifth with the help of air purifiers.
The summary is made by artificial intelligence and checked by a human.
Research shows that air-purifying devices reduce children’s illness in kindergartens.
Sickness of children decreased by 18% and absenteeism of parents by 16% in kindergartens that cleaned the air.
The study followed four kindergartens for two years in different winters.
Air purification proved to be significant in the prevention of airborne infections.
When air-purifying devices were installed in four kindergartens in Helsinki, the morbidity of children decreased significantly, according to a recent study.
Children got sick up to 18 percent less than before in kindergartens where the air was cleaned. At the same time, the work absences of the children’s parents decreased by approximately 16 percent.
In the study, four different kindergartens were monitored for two years. In the first winter, the air was cleaned in two kindergartens, and in the following winter, the purifiers were moved to other kindergartens. Morbidity was monitored in both winters.
“We did this in case there was some kind of small epidemic in one of the kindergartens or the infection periods were very different from each other. This way, the information we get is more reliable,” says the research doctor leading the research of the E3 Pandemic Response project Enni Sanmark.
Information about morbidity came from electronic symptom diaries kept by parents. Diseases were not specified. We know from experience that the overwhelming majority were flu.
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“Air purification plays an important role in both preventing indoor air problems and staying healthy.”
Sanmark’s according to it has been well known in the past that viruses can be spread by droplet and contact infection. You can try to prevent them by coughing into your sleeve and good hand hygiene.
However, in the E3 study, daycare centers were not specifically advised to prevent infections by means other than cleaning the air, because the study wanted to draw attention to how a significant proportion of viruses are transmitted through the air.
“The children interacted in the same way as they normally do. They shared their toys and squealed like children squeal. Still, infections decreased. It says that the airborne infection route is quite significant.”
According to Sanmark, there was not enough research data on airborne disease transmission in the past, and the relationship between different modes of transmission was not understood.
“The research confirms that diseases are spread in other ways than through droplets and contact. Air purification plays an important role in both preventing indoor air problems and staying healthy.”
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Could air purifiers be the standard equipment of daycare centers in the future to reduce the cycle of illness?
Research the purpose was also to find an “easy” way to prevent airborne infections, says Sanmark. The air purifiers that move and stand on their own feet were easy to place so that they did not disturb the everyday life of daycare centers.
Even the decibels were kept within the regulations. The research only aimed at guideline-level air purification, not to create operating room-level air, Sanmark states.
So could air purifiers be a standard equipment in daycare centers in the future to reduce the cycle of illness?
“You have to be aware of the realities. If you could afford a one-time investment, it would most likely be profitable, because parents’ absences from work would decrease. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way,” Sanmark reflects.
However, according to him, it would be good if air cleaning and exchange were taken into account when planning new daycare centers or renovating old ones.
“The placement of air purifiers would probably be worthwhile in kindergartens, hospitals or any other premises where the spread of diseases is likely.”
It was reported earlier Over.
Read more: Air purification reduced illnesses in kindergartens, a Finnish study showed
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