This years's flu virus is more virulent than previous years, and there have been a higher than usual number of deaths. But do you need to be exposed to a cough or sneeze to catch it?
Flu is spread by the inhalation of viral particles from someone who has the flu. But not everyone gets terribly sick, and it can even manifest as a mild upper respiratory illness in some people. Why others get critically ill still has not been determined.
Researchers decided to see if simply being near someone who has the flu can be dangerous. In a recent publication, http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2018/01/17/1716561115.full, they found that there was live flu virus, suspended in tiny water droplets, present when an infected person simply breathes; not necessarily coughs or sneezes!
In addition, vaccinated persons were MORE likely to have infectious particles; possibly because they were less ill!
Sometimes you can't avoid exposure. The current vaccine is not as effective as we would like (20-30%) but even if you do catch the flu you are less likely to get severely ill. And the vaccine does not cause you to get sick - it contains no live particles!
So get the vaccine, and wear a mask near someone who has the flu (and they should too) for at least 3-5 days!
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