Air Filters Don’t Stop You Catching Infectious Respiratory Diseases, Landmark Study Indicates

Air filters don’t stop you catching infectious respiratory diseases, landmark study indicates

Who wants to get rid of the Hepa filter? Monkey Business Image/Shutterstock.comThere was an energetic push to install air-filtering devices in schools and care homes when the COVID pandemic struck. However, these devices had rarely been tested in real situations looking at infection outcomes in people. Because there was no solid proof that these devices actually worked, researchers ran a trial testing whether air filters can prevent viral respir…

Air filters fail to reduce infections in care homes, trial finds

Portable air filters do not reduce respiratory infections in older people’s care homes, according to the largest real-world trial of the technology to date. The study, led by researchers at the University of Bristol and published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters made no difference…

High-Efficiency HEPA Filters Aim to Prevent Winter Respiratory Infections

Winter respiratory infections remain a major threat to older adults living in care homes, prompting renewed interest in engineering-based infection control. A new cluster randomized clinical trial tested whether adding portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to communal areas and bedrooms could reduce infection rates during the winter season. The study was designed to evaluate […]

Cluster Randomized Trial Evaluates HEPA Filter Effectiveness in Reducing Respiratory Infections in Care Homes

A recent cluster randomized clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness of portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in reducing respiratory infection rates among older adults residing in care homes. Researchers installed the filtration units in communal areas and bedrooms to determine if improved air quality during the winter months lowers the transmission of seasonal illnesses. The