Scientists commissioned for urgent swine flu research

PA 221/09 Scientists at The University of Nottingham and Health Protection Agency East Midlands are carrying out urgent research into the swine flu virus after being commissioned as part of the government's response to the pandemic. Researchers want to find out how long someone is contagious for and advise on a 'safe distance' from the patient. The study is being led by Professor Jonathan Nguyen Van Tam of the University of Nottingham's School of Community Health Sciences and the Health Protection Agency East Midlands. Researchers will take daily nose swabs from people suffering from H1N1 influenza over a period of at least a week to see how much virus is in the nose and how quickly it disappears. They will also take samples from hard surfaces and from the air around the patient using a special filter device. Using this data they aim to work out how much virus is being excreted and how long someone is contagious for. They also want to discover whether the virus is more prominent on surfaces or in the air as well as advising on what is a 'safe' distance from the patient.