Abstract: An air cleaning device for reducing the nosocomial and airborne transmission of diseases, such as tuberculosis, pertussis, influenza and measles. The device is positioned at the wall behind a hospital bed and allows for the removal of localized room air at the patient's bed and creates an envelope of constantly moving air past the patient into the inlet of the device. The air currents that are so generated capture airborne particles, e.g., as droplet nuclei, arising from the patient before they are allowed to disperse throughout the room so as to reduce the possibility of exposure of patient generated ariborne pathogens to healthcare workers or others. The air source capture velocity profile is such as to provide a negative pressure at the inlet thereto and a negative pressure within the room and the captured air can be both appropriately irradiated and filtered to purify the air stream which exits from the device.