3 foot rule

I haven't read tammykrumrey's entire storie, but from what I gather the family depended on the "3 Foot rule" to reduce Cepacia transmission.

I am hoping hoping hoping hoping I read this wrong - or I didn't read everything.

But as most of you know (or should know) the 3 foot rule prevents air borne transmission of bacteria (sneeze, cough, etc).

But if those two CFer's were in the same house, cepacia can appear on couches, door handles, chairs, tables, carpets, walls, ANYWHERE the cepacia kid wipes/coughes/sneezes snot/spit/sputum.

This fact should be common knowledge among the entire CF community so I'm posting this on my blog in case it isn't.

My heart just sank when I read Tammy's posts..... I'm still holding on to the hope that I mis-read or mis-understood her posts that those kids were anywhere near eachother. But there's a reason we wear (or CFF protocol calls for us to wear) masks and gloves at clinic and why clinic rooms are wiped down after each patient. It's not proximity that can necessarily harm us - bacteria can live on surfaces for 72+ hours!!!!!

My heart really does go out for Tammy's kid with cepacia.... it's just so sad if in fact cross-contamination did occure.....