I had a vague recollection of seeing reports of intentional flu nasal inoculation studies, probably in the 1980’s/90’s. Going looking, I didn’t find the particular one, but I did find a very interesting overview of the literature on flu experiments. It is twelve years old now, but as it is a summary of previous work, still interesting.

https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/167/7/775/83777

For those who don’t want the nitty gritty, here is the Abstract.

The dynamics of viral shedding and symptoms following influenza virus infection are key factors when considering epidemic control measures. The authors reviewed published studies describing the course of influenza virus infection in placebo-treated and untreated volunteers challenged with wild-type influenza virus. A total of 56 different studies with 1,280 healthy participants were considered. Viral shedding increased sharply between 0.5 and 1 day after challenge and consistently peaked on day 2. The duration of viral shedding averaged over 375 participants was 4.80 days (95% confidence interval: 4.31, 5.29). The frequency of symptomatic infection was 66.9% (95% confidence interval: 58.3, 74.5). Fever was observed in 37.0% of A/H1N1, 40.6% of A/H3N2 (p = 0.86), and 7.5% of B infections (p = 0.001). The total symptoms scores increased on day 1 and peaked on day 3. Systemic symptoms peaked on day 2. No such data exist for children or elderly subjects, but epidemiologic studies suggest that the natural history might differ. The present analysis confirms prior expert opinion on the duration of viral shedding or the frequency of asymptomatic influenza infection, extends prior knowledge on the dynamics of viral shedding and symptoms, and provides original results on the frequency of respiratory symptoms or fever.

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

mollwollfumble said:

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

so ‘u don’t think that might be because Australians don’t want to be kicked out of whatever they’re doing, want to hide the fact they’ve been unwell, cover up their potential COVID-19 if you like, noting of course that a significant number of Australians are Chinese Australians

SCIENCE said:

mollwollfumble said:

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

so ‘u don’t think that might be because Australians don’t want to be kicked out of whatever they’re doing, want to hide the fact they’ve been unwell, cover up their potential COVID-19 if you like, noting of course that a significant number of Australians are Chinese Australians

No.

Witty Rejoinder said:

SCIENCE said:

mollwollfumble said:

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

so ‘u don’t think that might be because Australians don’t want to be kicked out of whatever they’re doing, want to hide the fact they’ve been unwell, cover up their potential COVID-19 if you like, noting of course that a significant number of Australians are Chinese Australians

No.

Noted, you mean ¿

Witty Rejoinder said:

SCIENCE said:

mollwollfumble said:

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

so ‘u don’t think that might be because Australians don’t want to be kicked out of whatever they’re doing, want to hide the fact they’ve been unwell, cover up their potential COVID-19 if you like, noting of course that a significant number of Australians are Chinese Australians

No.

…said Luigi Vercotti.

Witty Rejoinder said:

SCIENCE said:

mollwollfumble said:

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

so ‘u don’t think that might be because Australians don’t want to be kicked out of whatever they’re doing, want to hide the fact they’ve been unwell, cover up their potential COVID-19 if you like, noting of course that a significant number of Australians are Chinese Australians

No.

Remember the old (Pre Covid) saying. “Coughs & sneezes spread diseases” Applies to flu as well.

Tamb said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

SCIENCE said:

so ‘u don’t think that might be because Australians don’t want to be kicked out of whatever they’re doing, want to hide the fact they’ve been unwell, cover up their potential COVID-19 if you like, noting of course that a significant number of Australians are Chinese Australians

No.

Remember the old (Pre Covid) saying. “Coughs & sneezes spread diseases” Applies to flu as well.

agree but the cynic in us says “remember all those geniuses posting on social media how paracetamol got them on a flight”

yeah not much of a party season for influenza and many other common cold viruses, nobody’s up for those out of control parties anymore, nobody much wants to host them, punching holes in the walls, taking over the kitchen, and the sound system, and the music is terrible

starved of venues and hosts, reproduction rates in decline, year or so the last of the worst of them will be incarcerated, doomed to extinction

and cheers buffy for the OP

transition said:

yeah not much of a party season for influenza and many other common cold viruses, nobody’s up for those out of control parties anymore, nobody much wants to host them, punching holes in the walls, taking over the kitchen, and the sound system, and the music is terrible

starved of venues and hosts, reproduction rates in decline, year or so the last of the worst of them will be incarcerated, doomed to extinction

and cheers buffy for the OP

so we can expect poor herd immunity to influenza in coming years, and an even worse ‘flu’ death rate hey

SCIENCE said:

transition said:

yeah not much of a party season for influenza and many other common cold viruses, nobody’s up for those out of control parties anymore, nobody much wants to host them, punching holes in the walls, taking over the kitchen, and the sound system, and the music is terrible

starved of venues and hosts, reproduction rates in decline, year or so the last of the worst of them will be incarcerated, doomed to extinction

and cheers buffy for the OP

so we can expect poor herd immunity to influenza in coming years, and an even worse ‘flu’ death rate hey

I was talking about corona, the need to completely eliminate it in Australia

I was being humorous, trying

transition said:

SCIENCE said:

transition said:

yeah not much of a party season for influenza and many other common cold viruses, nobody’s up for those out of control parties anymore, nobody much wants to host them, punching holes in the walls, taking over the kitchen, and the sound system, and the music is terrible

starved of venues and hosts, reproduction rates in decline, year or so the last of the worst of them will be incarcerated, doomed to extinction

and cheers buffy for the OP

so we can expect poor herd immunity to influenza in coming years, and an even worse ‘flu’ death rate hey

I was talking about corona, the need to completely eliminate it in Australia

I was being humorous, trying

trouble is now there’s an unstoppable réservoir called the USA

SCIENCE said:

transition said:

SCIENCE said:

so we can expect poor herd immunity to influenza in coming years, and an even worse ‘flu’ death rate hey

I was talking about corona, the need to completely eliminate it in Australia

I was being humorous, trying

trouble is now there’s an unstoppable réservoir called the USA

just do the right thing here, if you’re in Australia, best you can do

the land of the entrepreneurial new capitalism, that tortured capitalism and democracy to near death is a far off place

transition said:

SCIENCE said:

transition said:

I was talking about corona, the need to completely eliminate it in Australia

I was being humorous, trying

trouble is now there’s an unstoppable réservoir called the USA

just do the right thing here, if you’re in Australia, best you can do

the land of the entrepreneurial new capitalism, that tortured capitalism and democracy to near death is a far off place

really it’s an entrepreneurial morality, if it qualifies as morality at all, that permeated economics and politics, probably in that order

Looks like if you look for it, many asymptomatic people carry around rhinoviruses in the season too.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120619225719.htm

buffy said:

Looks like if you look for it, many asymptomatic people carry around rhinoviruses in the season too.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120619225719.htm

Looks that way.

Tau.Neutrino said:

buffy said:

Looks like if you look for it, many asymptomatic people carry around rhinoviruses in the season too.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120619225719.htm

Looks that way.

It would be interesting to see the figures of all previous outbreaks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics

That could be a university study.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

buffy said:

Looks like if you look for it, many asymptomatic people carry around rhinoviruses in the season too.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120619225719.htm

Looks that way.

It would be interesting to see the figures of all previous outbreaks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics

That could be a university study.

Not possible. Generally in outbreaks only the symptomatic are tested. You haven’t go time to do the detailed science, too busy looking after the unwell

buffy said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Looks that way.

It would be interesting to see the figures of all previous outbreaks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics

That could be a university study.

Not possible. Generally in outbreaks only the symptomatic are tested. You haven’t go time to do the detailed science, too busy looking after the unwell

ok.

transition said:

and cheers buffy for the OP

Yes, particularly this bit.

“Viral shedding increased sharply between 0.5 and 1 day after challenge and consistently peaked on day 2. The duration of viral shedding averaged over 375 participants was 4.80 days (95% confidence interval: 4.31, 5.29). The frequency of symptomatic infection was 66.9% (95% confidence interval: 58.3, 74.5). Fever was observed in 37.0% of A/H1N1, 40.6% of A/H3N2 (p = 0.86), and 7.5% of B infections (p = 0.001). The total symptoms scores increased on day 1 and peaked on day 3. Systemic symptoms peaked on day 2.”

Only 4.8 days. That’s tiny. I would have guessed at nearer to three weeks.

That approx 40% rate of fever is interesting, too.

mollwollfumble said:

transition said:

and cheers buffy for the OP

Yes, particularly this bit.

“Viral shedding increased sharply between 0.5 and 1 day after challenge and consistently peaked on day 2. The duration of viral shedding averaged over 375 participants was 4.80 days (95% confidence interval: 4.31, 5.29). The frequency of symptomatic infection was 66.9% (95% confidence interval: 58.3, 74.5). Fever was observed in 37.0% of A/H1N1, 40.6% of A/H3N2 (p = 0.86), and 7.5% of B infections (p = 0.001). The total symptoms scores increased on day 1 and peaked on day 3. Systemic symptoms peaked on day 2.”

Only 4.8 days. That’s tiny. I would have guessed at nearer to three weeks.

That approx 40% rate of fever is interesting, too.

I’ve remember the shedding phase as when the virus makes you sneeze a lot so it can spread (OK, a little bit of anthropomorphising can be a helpful memory aid). And I read that using aspirin increases the rate of shedding. But I see that is fairly old research. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true though.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/163931

A later bit of research on the shedding thing.

https://academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/162/6/1277/918184

buffy said:

A later bit of research on the shedding thing.

https://academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/162/6/1277/918184

Let’s see.

56 volunteers.
Rhinovirus type 2.
Virus shedding 3 to 7 days.

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of research done. But I suppose it’s a bit difficult to get people willing to be seeded up the nose with virus.

buffy said:

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of research done. But I suppose it’s a bit difficult to get people willing to be seeded up the nose with virus.

quitters

Google : where does flu come from

The answer will amaze you.

The reservoir of infection continues

wookiemeister said:

Google : where does flu come from

The answer will amaze you.

The reservoir of infection continues

You’ll need to step up Wookie if you want to compete with MZL as the forum prophet of impending COVID-19 doom…

mollwollfumble said:

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

> Remember the old (Pre Covid) saying. “Coughs & sneezes spread diseases” Applies to flu as well.

Even lower now. Going to be the best flu season on record.

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

Incidence of flu in Australia is way down this week. Possibly the lowest incidence ever.

> Remember the old (Pre Covid) saying. “Coughs & sneezes spread diseases” Applies to flu as well.

Even lower now. Going to be the best flu season on record.

Wash your hands before you touch me
Please sneeze into your sleeve

Sounds like a good song title line.