• Question: If you have a common cold and you sneeze, how far will it go? When it comes into contact with a surface how long will it 'survive' there?

    Asked by to Bethany, Hannah, Keith, Peter on 25 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Peter Elliott

      Peter Elliott answered on 25 Jun 2014:


      A sneeze can travel around 5 feet (1.5 meters) so please cover your nose when you feel one coming.

      The common cold can be caused by a few different types of virus. Most of these will die after a couple of hours on a dry surface. However some evidence has suggested that the flu virus might be able to last a few days before it dies.

    • Photo: Bethany Dearlove

      Bethany Dearlove answered on 25 Jun 2014:


      It was originally thought that sneezes could only reach a couple of metres – but a recent study done at MIT suggests that they can actually spread a lot further. The scientists found that the sneeze droplets produced when we sneeze are accompanied by clouds of gas allowing the droplets to travel further, such as filling up the room. If you have access to youtube, you can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qqHOKUXY5U.

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