Professor Wendy Barclay [Medicine] discusses pandemic planning strategies in The Independent (Thursday 30 August 2012).
“If you are reaching for your handkerchief it might be too late to stop the spread of flu, research suggests. Flu and cold viruses are carried in mucus droplets that spray out when a person coughs or sneezes, but the latest research indicates that flu can be transmitted before symptoms show. The findings, from a study of ferrets, support earlier research suggesting that viral particles can be expelled into the air through normal breathing. Lead researcher Professor Wendy Barclay [Medicine], from Imperial College London, said the result had important implications for pandemic planning strategies.”