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JOHANNESBURG -- Already criticized by some for being too noisy, the vuvuzela could also be spreading colds and flu germs, according to a London doctor.
The vuvuzela, a long plastic horn as common as uncomfortable seats at soccer matches in South Africa, is just about the most popular item in the country with the World Cup only one day away.
But with the flu season in South Africa in full swing, Dr. Ruth McNerney of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told The Associated Press that the instrument could cause health issues.
"Vuvuzelas have the potential to spread colds and flu as a lot of breath goes through the vuvuzela," McNerney said, adding that they can infect others on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.
McNerney was involved in a recent study of eight healthy volunteers who blew the vuvuzela in order to measure what comes out at the other end. They found that tiny droplets which can carry flu and cold germs were formed at the bottom of a vuvuzela.
Those particles are small enough to stay suspended in the air for hours, and can enter into the airways of a person's lungs, McNerney said by telephone.
More at ..
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-c...cc=5901&ver=us
The vuvuzela, a long plastic horn as common as uncomfortable seats at soccer matches in South Africa, is just about the most popular item in the country with the World Cup only one day away.
But with the flu season in South Africa in full swing, Dr. Ruth McNerney of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine told The Associated Press that the instrument could cause health issues.
"Vuvuzelas have the potential to spread colds and flu as a lot of breath goes through the vuvuzela," McNerney said, adding that they can infect others on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.
McNerney was involved in a recent study of eight healthy volunteers who blew the vuvuzela in order to measure what comes out at the other end. They found that tiny droplets which can carry flu and cold germs were formed at the bottom of a vuvuzela.
Those particles are small enough to stay suspended in the air for hours, and can enter into the airways of a person's lungs, McNerney said by telephone.
More at ..
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-c...cc=5901&ver=us
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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