Research Shows That Gender Affects Spread of H1N1
Research done at the Imperial College of London has concluded that boys are more likely to pass on H1N1 influenza on to other boys, while girls are more likely to pass it on to other girls.
It seems that the classmate transmission rate is about 25 times higher than that between kids in different grades. The same research showed taht a child sitting next to another with flu did not significantly raise the former's risk of catching H1N1.
The research data gathered from this study will be useful in the future to map out where the disease spreads. It will also be valuable in deciding whether and when it would be appropriate to close a school or just individual classes or grades during an outbreak of the flu.
The data that was used in the study included 370 pupils from 295 different households. Data sources included seating charts, questionnaires and attendance records.
