Dr. Andrew Weil Explains How Flu Spreads

You thought flu spreads by sneezing or coughing, but you might be surprised by the fact that people who have flu can pass it around just by breathing. The droplets of infectious virus remain suspended in the air when a person with flu breathes. These droplets can remain in the air for minutes and even hours.

A research was conducted in the University of Maryland, where the college students who were diagnosed with flu were made to breath in a lab apparatus which could measure the exact constituents of their breath. Some of the exhaled particles were relatively larger and contaminated the surfaces nearby. This leads to a possibility that people outside the lab might inhale the droplets of infectious virus. These virus droplets are more threatening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sheds light on the fact that these droplets can spread about six feet and stay suspended in the air for longer durations. These droplets can then enter in the noses or mouths or can be inhaled by people around. Alternatively, if you touch the surfaces contaminated with infectious virus droplets and touch your nose or mouth with those hands, you are much likely to contract the infection. You are at greater risk of contracting the infection while you are in closed rooms and gyms. This shows that inadequate air exchange makes the infectious virus droplets to stay suspended.

Dr. Andrew Weil emphasized the need of simple preventive measures to stop both acquiring and spreading the flu. He suggests washing hands frequently, keeping hands away from nose and mouth, staying home if you are having flu, avoiding contact with people suffering from flu, drinking enough fluids, and getting enough rest will help you in preventing from spreading or acquiring flu.