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Comment by iandanforth | Hacker News Reader

I will admit to following the swab-nose-with-neosporin protocol following a previous mouse study with similar results. I use this during travel and have had no short terms ill effects and caught no infections while following it. (Not a doctor, not well controlled, just a random internet guy).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/research/coronavirus/publicatio...

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That also sounds like a recipe for inducing antibiotic resistance in the staph in your nose.

I'm busy so I didn't read the paper - is there a reason to use neosporin instead of petroleum jelly? In addition to your concern, many people are actively allergic to the ingredients in neosporin.

yes, really, don't do it. it's a danger not only to yourself, but to others as well.

You think putting neosporin in your nose a few times will get someone infected with antibiotic resistant staph?

Not one individual, but if millions of people do it across the population...

Millions of people already do it across the population.

I wouldn’t do that. All sorts of stuff will permanently kill your sense of smell.

One common one (this keeps getting reinvented, then banned in the us) is zinc nasal spray.

Zinc lozenges seem fine. Both are effective at shortening colds.

Only if it's zinc acetate, which is rare!

I already lost my sense of smell after having a surgery for deviated septum where they removed some tissue.

I will admit to following no protocol at all with similar results. I do nothing during travel and have no short term ill effects and caught no infections.

Probably best not to do that. Neosporin is somewhat infamous for causing allergic reactions and repeated use increases the chances of getting an allergy to it.

From the study, to your point:

> To assess the translational potential of the intranasal neomycin approach in humans, we conducted a small pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving healthy human participants.

> For the experimental arm (n = 12) > For the placebo arm (n = 7)

> One out of 21 participants experienced signs of an adverse event after 2 doses which self-resolved after a few days and self-withdrew from the study early. Upon examination of their medical record, it was found that the participant had a history of allergic reactions to various medications (not specific to study drug). Another participant’s nasal samples could not be used due to technical issues. All other 19 participants tolerated the treatment well and did not experience any adverse events from the study.

This is a good point! I've got a few decades of tolerating neosporin for normal uses so wasn't overly concerned.

Why not use an N95 mask? I use it on movie theaters, subways and airplanes.

A single virion of SARS-COV-2 is about 125nm. Approximately the same size as a single particle of smoke. N95 masks are supposed to be 95% effective for particle sizes 100-300nm in size. It also means that 5% get through.

Not sure about RSV (and its variants) or flu A/B.

My assumption about N95 masks is that they are used to effectively reduce the initial viral load and act as a first line of defense but are not a sole preventative measure.

It goes both ways too. If you have symptoms it makes sense to wear an N95 if only to reduce the amount of virion you are sharing.

FWIW, sanitation is every bit as important as wearing an N95 mask in movie theaters, on subways, or on airplanes. Rule of thumb is to be ever-vigilant.

My understanding is that there’s a minimum threshold for viral load to evolve into symptoms.

You won’t get an infection from 100 viruses, but you may from 1 million.

A higher viral load means a better start for the infection. If you get a limited viral load, you give your immune system enough time to deal with it without major damage. But even asymptomatic COVID-19 leads to permanent injury, so, maybe it's better to get a massive infection and build a better resistance than many small-grade infection and accumulate enough damage without building a good enough natural defense.

Yes, mask first, this is a second line of defense. (Again, maybe, could do nothing or be harmful)

For COVID-19, only N99/FFP3 are effective. People don't grasp the basic math that a N99 mask is NOT just 4% better than a N95 one, it's 5 times better!

Mice != Humans

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