In the public perception, there is often a misperception that exposure to a non-symptomatic infected person is not infected. It is often the case that people are less vigilant because of the absence of obvious symptoms in the case of people infected without symptoms, yet the perception is extremely wrong, and exposure to people infected with symptoms actually carries a considerable risk of infection.
Patients with no symptoms, although they do not themselves have typical infections such as fever, cough and oscillation, still carry pathogens such as viruses and are contagious. Many viruses have an incubation period when they are infected with the human body, during which the virus continues to reproduce in the body and, while the infected person may not be aware of it, the virus can spread to others by various means. For example, the non-asymptomatic infections of the new coronary virus are positive at nucleic acid tests, indicating the presence of the virus in their bodies. In everyday life, in situations such as public transport, shopping in supermarkets, and office work, there is a high risk of infection if there is close contact with a non-symptomatic infected person.
The path to transmission of the virus for people with no symptoms is similar to that for those with symptoms. Unsymptomatic infections in the respiratory tract can produce foam when they breathe, speak, cough and sneeze, which contains viruses. Inhalation of these virus-bearing foams by healthy people can lead to the virus entering the respiratory tract and thus to infection. Even a small amount of fumigation, in a relatively closed and air-influencing environment, can be suspended in the air for long periods of time to form aerosols, with others also at risk of infection if they inhale this virus-contaminated aerosol. For example, in a small space like an elevator, a virus-borne gas from a non-asymptomatic infected person may spread over the entire space in a short period of time and those who enter the elevator are vulnerable to infection.
Exposure to communication is also a means of transmission that cannot be ignored. The virus is attached to public goods, such as doorknobs, elevator buttons, bus helpers, etc., when the hands of people with no symptoms touch their nose and mouth. When a healthy person touches these contaminated items and touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth if he or she does not wash his or her hands in a timely manner, the virus will take the opportunity to enter the human body and cause infection. In areas of high-frequency exposure in some public places, the risk of such indirect exposure is higher.
There is also a high risk of transmission in close contact settings, such as home, social and other settings, for people with no symptoms. Stronger living space and frequent daily contact between family members, such as shared meals, towels and other items, as well as close communication and interaction, have created conditions for the transmission of the virus. For example, during a family meeting or meal, a non-symptomatic infected person may inadvertently transmit the virus to other family members, while others are unprotected because they have no symptoms.
From actual data on the control of infectious diseases, there are a number of trace traces of infection that show contact with people with no symptoms. These cases warn us not to be taken lightly because the other side has no symptoms. During the epidemic, even in the face of people who appear healthy, we have to maintain good hygiene practices, such as hand washing, masking and social distance. In public places, touch of public goods is minimized and hands are cleaned in a timely manner. For the public environment, there is a need to improve ventilation and disinfection and to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus.
Exposure to people without symptoms is not without risk; rather, it hides the infected “mined areas”. We need to raise awareness of the infectious nature of people without symptoms, increase awareness of self-protection and implement strict protection measures in order to better protect themselves and others ‘ health in the face of the threat of infectious diseases.
