{"id":2686,"date":"2016-12-29T13:57:24","date_gmt":"2016-12-29T13:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=2686"},"modified":"2016-12-29T14:12:32","modified_gmt":"2016-12-29T14:12:32","slug":"high-velocity-cold-flu-bugs-in-the-cloud-are-nothing-to-sneeze-at","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/high-velocity-cold-flu-bugs-in-the-cloud-are-nothing-to-sneeze-at\/","title":{"rendered":"High velocity cold, flu bugs in the cloud are nothing to sneeze at"},"content":{"rendered":"

A violent sneeze can spray clouds of fluids containing hundreds of viruses from a person\u2019s nose and mouth that will travel up to eight meters (26.2 feet), according to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). But there is a way to help sidestep infection from coughs and sneezes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A virus-carrying sneeze ‘cloud’ can travel up to 8 meters (24 feet), according to new MIT research. (iStock image: Copyright AndSim)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cViruses can stay suspended in the air for hours so with the cold and flu season in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere people need to use all the aids available to help battle becoming infected, from boosting immune functions to cleaning the air of germs by using an air purifier,\u201d said Blueair founder Bengt Rittri.<\/p>\n

A novel study by MIT researchers shows that coughs and sneezes have associated gas clouds that keep their potentially infectious droplets aloft over much greater distances than previously realized. The study<\/a> finds that droplets 100 micrometers \u2014 or millionths of a meter \u2014 in diameter travel five times farther than previously estimated, while droplets 10 micrometers in diameter travel 200 times farther.<\/p>\n

Using high-speed imaging of coughs and sneezes, as well as laboratory simulations and mathematical modeling, the researchers produced a new analysis of coughs and sneezes from a fluid-mechanics perspective. The MIT findings led the researchers to suggest that architects and engineers may want to re-examine the design of workplaces and hospitals, or air circulation on airplanes, to reduce the chances of airborne pathogens being transmitted among people.<\/p>\n

Millions of work and school days are lost every year because of colds and flu. In the United States, Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC) estimates the annual direct costs (hospitalization, doctors’ office visits, medications, etc.) of influenza at US$4.6 billion and causes the loss of almost 111 million workdays.<\/p>\n

In Europe, one approximate estimate<\/a> has put the health cost of influenza across the EU at between \u20ac6 billion to \u20ac14 billion annually depending on the severity of the season. WHO says annual flu epidemics<\/a> are thought to result in about three and five million cases of severe illness and between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths every year around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore often than not, humans are the main source of infectious diseases in the home and workplace so using an air purifier to remove airborne viruses makes sense for people at home seeking to avoid infection or managers striving to ensure their staff have a germ-free work environment,\u201d said Bengt Rittri.<\/p>\n

Some quick tips that could help you avoid colds and flu:<\/p>\n