Which precaution is required for airborne infections such as active TB?

• A. Airborne precautions
• B. Droplet precautions
• C. Contact precautions
• D. Standard precautions only

Answer: (A)

Airborne infections spread through tiny particles that can linger in the air and travel with air currents, so preventing their spread requires airborne precautions. This means isolating the patient in a negative-pressure room, keeping the room door closed, and ensuring anyone entering wears a respirator such as a fit-tested N95 (or higher). If the patient must be moved, they should wear a mask to limit release of particles, and the surrounding environment should have adequate ventilation and filtration to remove contaminated air. For active TB, these measures are essential because TB bacteria travel in small droplet nuclei that stay airborne. Other precautions target different transmission routes: droplet precautions address larger droplets that don’t travel far and use surgical masks; contact precautions focus on preventing transmission via contaminated surfaces or direct contact; standard precautions alone do not prevent airborne spread.