New research could dramatically reduce the spread of swine flu and other infectious diseases
The spread of swine flu and other infectious diseases could be dramatically reduced by revolutionising the way that the places we live in are designed and built.
That's the view of experts investigating how the micro-organisms that cause disease behave in buildings and associated infrastructure.
Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), researchers at the new 'Healthy Infrastructure Research Centre' (HIRC), at University College London, are studying the behaviour of pathogens in places like hospitals and schools and drainage and sewage systems.
HIRC aims to:
- spot characteristics in building/infrastructure design that encourage diseases to spread
- pinpoint changes that can be made to infrastructure (in design, materials, maintenance etc) to restrict pathogens' ability to survive and move around there.
"It's well known that the infrastructure we rely on has an impact on our health, but understanding in this area is very limited," says Dr Ka man Lai, who is leading the initiative. "HIRC will therefore explore the role played by air conditioning, ventilation systems, drains, pipes, and the size and layout of rooms, for example, in the transmission of airborne diseases and diseases spread via surface contact.
"My vision is that, within the next 10 years, we will completely transform infrastructure function, design and construction and so create a new disease-resistant environment fit for the 21st century. We hope that, within 3 years, HIRC will start generating insights and recommendations leading directly to healthier infrastructure."
Every year, infectious diseases (such as seasonal flu, tuberculosis, hospital 'superbugs' and most recently swine flu) affect millions of people around the world. Their spread can be affected by many factors, including temperature, humidity, the presence of surfaces where pathogens can linger and the availability of 'pathways' enabling them to move around freely.
As well as investigating how new infrastructure can restrict disease transmission, HIRC will investigate ways of making old infrastructure healthier. It will also evaluate the precise impact that simple steps such as improving ventilation (e.g. by opening more windows) and understanding the influence hand-washing facilities could have in stopping the spread of pathogens.