Marr said the demonstration was a great educational tool for her students and for the public moving forward.
“As we head into another COVID-19 and flu season, good ventilation and filtration continue to be a key aspect of reducing the risk of infection," said Marr. “This can be done by opening a window, turning on exhaust fans, or running a portable air filtration unit, or some combination of these.”
The future of flu research
Marr’s research on the transmission of illnesses through the air doesn’t end with the "60 Minutes" interview. She’s tackling a project that ties back to something that originally sparked her interest in this area of research: the health of young children in day care and specifically, her own son. MITIGATE FLU is part of an $8.8 million grant from Flu Lab with collaborative research from the University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, Emory University, and Georgetown University.
“Our goals are to figure out how behavioral and environmental factors affect flu transmission and to identify effective interventions that can be used in day care centers to mitigate transmission,” said Marr. “Along the way, we hope to figure out how much transmission occurs by breathing in the virus from the air versus being sprayed by large droplets carrying the virus versus touching contaminated surfaces.”
Watch the "60 Minutes" promo.
