Scientists at the University of Maryland measured people with flu infections while they breathed, talked, coughed and sneezed. They found simply breathing in and out is enough to lace the air with the flu virus. Most health officials thought the influenza virus spread mostly through coughing or sneezing, but this new research suggests those explosive events aren't required.
Class discussion: Do you know anyone who has had the flu this year? Is this year’s flu outbreak worse than other years? How many people die from the flu every year? About 100 years ago, a flu epidemic killed 50 million to 100 million people. That was 3% to 5% of the world’s population; how many people would that be today? What event helped spread the flu in 1918?
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