How Contagious Are Common Respiratory Tract Infections

To the Editor: Musher (March 27 issue)1 points out that adenoviruses have caused large outbreaks among military recruits, but additional comment is needed. Adenoviruses do cause epidemics in young adults.2–5 Before vaccination, adenovirus-associated acute respiratory disease affected up to 10 percent of recruits and was responsible for nearly 70 percent of respiratory disease.3 Implementation of an adenovirus-vaccination policy in the military in 1971 resulted in a dramatic reduction in the occurrence of adenovirus-associated acute respiratory disease, but the manufacturer stopped producing the vaccines in 1995.3 Since then, a substantial number of outbreaks of adenovirus infection have occurred.3–5 Administration . . .