Vira-Block

Interesting Facts

A person with a common cold may produce 20,000 droplets in a single sneeze ⁷
Sneeze droplets travel about 3 feet ⁸
Studies have shown that human influenza viruses generally can survive on surfaces for between 2 and 8 hours. ⁴
5% to 20% of the population gets the flu ⁴
more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications ⁴
about 36,000 people die from flu. ⁴
Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold ¹
52.2 million cases of the common cold affect Americans under age 17 each year²
Children have about 6 to 10 colds a year. One important reason why colds are so common in children is because they are often in close contact with each other in daycare centers and schools. ⁵
Some foodborne illnesses are spread through lack of hand cleaning. In fact, certain strains of E. coli, salmonella, and other bacteria can live on surfaces like cafeteria tables and doorknobs for up to two hours ³
Poor personal hygiene contributes to approximately 50% of all foodborne illness outbreaks ⁶
Office toilet seats had 49 germs per square inch. But desktops had almost 21,000
germs per square inch. Phones were worse -- more than 25,000 germs per square inch. ⁹
Paper currency is commonly contaminated with bacteria and this may play a role in the transmission of potentially harmful organisms," (94%) of the bills were contaminated with bacteria known to cause either serious or mild illness ¹⁰

CDC. Fast stats A to Z: Common cold.
CDC. Fast stats A to Z: Common cold.
Scott E, Bloomfield S. The survival and transfer of microbial contamination via cloths, hands, and utensils. Journal of Applied Bacteriology. 1990;68:271-277.
CDC: FACT SHEET Key Facts about Influenza
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th Edition
Mayo Clinic, Infectious Disease Center
Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona,
Dr. Peter Ender of the Medical Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio