Scientists answer flu questions

Scientists from Singapore will answer important questions about how flu is spread with a major new study.

In the $1 million research – which will be funded by the National Medical Research Council, and carried out by National University Hospital – a concave mirror and a high speed camera will track the velocity and distance of sneezes and coughs. The camera will capture 250,000 frames per second, making it well suited as a tool to analyse of how flu germs travel when we expel them from our bodies.

The trial could be important because there is controversy about which illnesses are airborne, and if they are, how significant this method of transmission is, in comparison with direct contact.

Team leader Julian Tang told Reuters: "What people do every day, we can visualize in real-time. Studying intervention is very important because we want to know how effective they are."

"It's really to inform infection control teams, because there is controversy now about which pathogens, e.g. flu, are airborne and if so, how significant this route is compared to others, such as direct contact."

Mr Tang believes the study could have budgetary implications for the next flu epidemic.

The flu season has begun in the US, but unlike Europe where swine flu outbreaks have emerged, swine flu (H1N1) only accounts for 10% of influenza cases in the US at the moment. The prevalent strain in America seems to be the H3N2 virus. Worldwide, around 5 million people become ill with flu every year. If you are ill, doctors advise covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze; disposing of this tissue as soon as possible; and washing your hands frequently.