When polled, “nearly three-quarters of physicians supported some form of a public option, either alone or in combination with private insurance options,” says Dr. Salomeh Keyhani. She and Dr. Alex Federman, both internists and researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, conducted a random survey, by mail and by phone, of 2,130 doctors. They surveyed them from June right up to early September.

Most doctors — 63 percent — say they favor giving patients a choice that would include both public and private insurance. That’s the position of President Obama and of many congressional Democrats. In addition, another 10 percent of doctors say they favor a public option only; they’d like to see a single-payer health care system. Together, the two groups add up to 73 percent.

When the American public is polled, anywhere from 50 to 70 percent favor a public option. So that means that when compared to their patients, doctors are bigger supporters of a public option.

An analysis of 50 showerheads from nine U.S. cities found that about 30 percent harbored high levels of Mycobacterium avium — a group of bacteria that can cause lung infections when inhaled or swallowed. Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder found the levels of Mycobacterium avium were 100 times higher than those found in typical household water.

“If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium, which may not be too healthy,” said researcher Norman Pace in a statement.

Mycobacterium avium is linked to pulmonary disease, causing symptoms such as a persistent drug cough, breathlessness and fatigue, and most often infects people with compromised immune system but can occasionally infect healthy people.

Pace said research at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver found that increases in pulmonary infections in the United States in recent decades from so-called “non-tuberculosis” mycobacteria species like Mycobacterium avium may be linked to people taking more showers and fewer baths.

He said water spurting from showerheads can distribute pathogen-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs.

The problem with showerheads is that the insides provide a moist, warm, dark haven where bacteria can form sticky “biofilms” that allow them to gain a foothold and eventually set up residence in the device.

The researchers, however, said it was still probably safe for most people to get into the shower and recommended people with compromised immune systems due to HIV or immune-suppressing drugs, use metal showerheads and change them regularly.

“This really shouldn’t concern average, healthy people. The main concern is for people who are immune-compromised,” researcher Leah Feazel told Reuters Health. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, are based on tests of about 50 showerheads taken from nine U.S. cities, including New York, Denver and Chicago.

The researchers said showerheads are not the only potential bacterial dispersants in the home, however.

Feazel said more research is needed to measure bacteria levels in household devices like humidifiers and evaporative coolers.

(Reporting by Amy Norton of Reutres Health, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

With half of the nation’s private-sector employees working at small businesses, federal officials said they want the enterprises to take precautions to prevent a disruption to the economy as the virus, also known as swine flu, wends its way across the United States.

“We are already seeing an uptick in cases across the country,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a conference call Monday. “We expect that to continue throughout the fall and winter.”

Thus far, the government has established guidelines for college campuses and schools, largely encouraging the facilities to remain open and make arrangements for sick students to continue working at home. Some small-business owners said they hadn’t yet thought about a flu plan — and are not certain it would do much good even if they had one.

“Most of the press has focused on schools. I haven’t thought much about it from a workforce standpoint,” said Marlon B. Johnson, president and chief executive of Infused Solutions, a contracting firm based in Sterling that provides information technology services for government agencies.

The company has 40 employees and losing 10 “could have an impact” on meeting its obligations to the government, he said. Most of the employees “are not easily replaceable.”

Molly Brogan, spokeswoman for the National Small Business Association, said swine flu has the potential to do serious harm to some fragile small businesses that already have been pushed to the edge by the recession.

“I think you’ll see a lot of business owners stretched to the max,” Brogan said. “You’ll see stores shut down a day or two. In this economy, you can’t afford that. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of other options.”

The government is urging small businesses to prepare for a worst-case scenario, with high numbers of workers suffering from severe bouts of the virus.

Officials said workers may be out three to five days and that businesses should think about how they would handle duties of key people who were out sick.

“People can work from home. If we have court appearances, other attorneys can fill in and take over,” said David Hudgins, principal and founder of Hudgins Law Firm, a 12-person operation in Alexandria, which specializes in corporate and insurance litigation cases. But “if we had a serious outbreak with five to six people out, we’d have to scramble. We think clients, courts and opposing attorneys would be understanding if we had to postpone” a trial.

While professional service businesses can maintain operations remotely, manufacturing firms need their people on-site to work.

Luc Brami, principal of Gelberg Signs in the District, said his 30 office employees could work from home, but he’d be “between a rock and a hard place” if a large number of his production staff went out sick. “I’d be devastated,” he said. “You can’t make things from home. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and washing our hands,” hoping that everyone stays well.

Don Owen, owner of P&P Contractors, a Rockville-based business that installs drywall, said he’d shift people from job sites to fill in for sick workers. But if a large number fell ill, he said, he’d likely have to hire temporary workers. “In this economy, there’s an abundance of people available,” he said.

The government’s guidelines also urge businesses to identify an H1N1 coordinator who would oversee efforts to respond to the virus; review sick leave policies to ensure workers would not be penalized for missing work to take care of themselves or children who came down with the virus; distance workers from one another to minimize spread of germs; and share their plans with employees.