Some experts believe research showing the spread of influenza can be suppressed by regulating indoor humidity could help combat coronavirus.
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WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HUMIDITY AND FLU
* At humidity levels of 23 per cent, up to 77 per cent of flu virus particles coughed into a room were still able to cause an infection an hour later, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
* When humidity levels were raised to 43 per cent, just 14 per cent of the virus particles had the ability to infect. Most became inactive 15 minutes after being released into the humid air.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HUMIDITY AND COVID-19
* Data collected by China's Nanjing University from more than 500 locations across the globe between January 20 and March 11 suggests weather including relative humidity is a factor in the spread of the contagion.
* Researchers from Madrid's National Museum of Natural Sciences and the University of Helsinki are reporting that tropical parts of the globe seem least affected by the pandemic.
WHAT OUR EXPERTS SAY
* "I think the data is relatively strong for influenza so it could potentially be the same and (what we know) could help. But I'd be cautious." Professor Michael Beard, deputy director Adelaide University Research Centre for Infectious Disease
* "It's been an issue that's important enough to think through in terms of the flu virus so there's no reason why one wouldn't pursue it in relation to the coronavirus." Professor Paul Komesaroff Monash University
Australian Associated Press
