Abstract
Influenza is a dangerous infection which could be disseminated easily in a hospital: failure of containment could result in severe loss of life. Dohgo Spa Hospital is a Center for Rheumatic Diseases with 240 beds which suffered an outbreak of influenza suddenly in 2002. Further spread was prevented by a simple measure: continuous wearing of surgical masks which were handed out to all occupants of the hospital. This precautionary measure against aerosol transmission has since been continued. No cases of influenza occurred in 2003 and only three cases in 2004. Therefore, this simple measure seems as efficacious as flu vaccination.
