Predicting Airborne Infection Risk: Association Between Personal Ambient Carbon Dioxide Level Monitoring and Incidence of Tuberculosis Infection in South African Health Workers.
Ruvandhi R NathavitharanaHridesh MishraAmanda M BiewerShelley HurwitzPhilip A LedererJack MeintjesEdward NardellGrant TheronPublished in: Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2022)
HWs face high occupational TB risk. Increasing median CO2 levels (indicative of poor ventilation and/or high occupancy) were associated with higher likelihood of HW TB infection. Personal ambient CO2 monitoring may help target interventions to decrease TB transmission in healthcare facilities and help HWs self-monitor occupational risk, with implications for other airborne infections including coronavirus disease 2019.