Which of the following lists droplet precautions?

• A. Contact: Scabies, MRSA, herpes, CDiff, RSV, wound infections
• B. Droplet: Influenza, pneumonia, sepsis, bacterial meningitis
• C. Airborne: TB, measles, varicella
• D. Must have negative air flow with N95 mask

Answer: (B)

Droplet precautions protect against infections spread by larger respiratory droplets that travel short distances when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Because these droplets don’t stay suspended in the air like tiny particles, the protection focuses on limiting near-person exposure with surgical masks for healthcare workers and masks for the patient during transport. This is different from airborne precautions, which deal with small particles that can linger in the air and require negative-pressure rooms and N95 respirators, and from contact precautions, which prevent transmission through direct or indirect contact and require gloves and gowns.

The list that fits droplet transmission includes influenza, pneumonia, and meningitis because these are typically spread via respiratory droplets. In contrast, the other options reflect contact precautions (scabies, MRSA, C. difficile, wound infections) or airborne precautions (tuberculosis, measles, varicella), which require different containment measures, including negative-air flow and respirators.