Researchers have found that flu develops in the roof of the mouth – and that it is spread through coughs and sneezes.
The key area of where flu develops is located in the soft palate separating the back of the mouth and the nasal cavity, according to new research.
Scientists have found that the inflammation associated with infection in the soft palate stimulates the sneezing and coughing, with it propelling the flu virus out of the mouth enabling it to spread easily.
Dr Kanta Subbarao, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the US said: “Historically, the soft palate has not been examined in animal models of influenza.”
Published in the science journal Nature, the research was carried out on ferrets whose mouths are similar to humans. (continue reading)