Why Some People Spread Flu More Than Others, According to Tulane Research
A Tulane School of Medicine professor was quoted in a BBC article exploring why certain individuals acted as “superspreaders” of flu and other respiratory viruses. The piece referenced Tulane-led research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that found exhaled aerosol particle production increased significantly with COVID-19 infection, age, and obesity. The study helped demonstrate how infected individuals could release dramatically higher numbers of virus-carrying particles into the air, offering critical insight into how respiratory illnesses spread and why a small percentage of people accounted for a large share of transmissions.
