Airborne
A transmission route in which infectious droplet nuclei ≤5 μm travel through the air and remain suspended, capable of spreading across distances.
The exam rarely says “airborne” outright; it hands you a diagnosis and makes you supply the precaution. The classic tell is MTV — Measles, TB, Varicella (plus disseminated zoster) — so the moment you see one, reach for an N95 respirator worn by staff, not a surgical mask. Priority questions love the sequence trap: the safest first action is usually place the client in the AIIR with the door closed. If a confirmed-TB client must leave the room, the client wears a surgical mask for source control.
The traps cluster around the neighboring terms. Droplet pathogens (influenza, pertussis, meningococcus) travel only a short range and need just a surgical mask, so an N95 there is over-isolation. Varicella and disseminated zoster are airborne AND contact, adding gown and gloves. Don’t confuse the room’s negative pressure (pulls air inward, protecting others) with the positive-pressure protective environment used for neutropenic/transplant clients (classically taught as a strict “>5 μm droplet vs. smaller airborne” split, though CDC’s newer guidance treats particle size as a continuum).
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