Flu spreads before symptoms appear

Published on 30/08/2012 01:30

IF YOU are reaching for your handkerchief it might be too late to stop the spread of flu.

Flu and cold viruses are known to be carried in mucus droplets that spray out when a person coughs or sneezes. But the latest research indicates that flu can be transmitted before any symptoms show.

The findings, from a study of ferrets, support earlier research suggesting viral particles can be expelled into the air through normal breathing.

Lead researcher Professor Wendy Barclay, of Imperial College London, said: “This result has important implications for pandemic planning strategies.”

She said doctors and nurses who did not get the flu jab are putting their patients at risk because they might pass on an infection when they don’t know they have contracted the virus.

The new study is reported in online journal PLoS ONE.