The whole of the Netherlands seems to be sniffling and the Mexican flu is slowly but surely spreading. In this flu-like time, Vicks, known for the throat lozenges, comes with the results of his annual National Cold Survey.
For the study, conducted by TNS NIPO, a group of 1600 people was questioned about their experience with and knowledge of colds and the (swine) flu † A quarter of the Dutch are (a little) afraid of getting the swine flu, the research shows. That makes us quite annoyed by people who cough or sneeze without putting their hand over their mouth.
The Dutch think that a flu virus lives an average of 8.6 hours † when in reality that is a whopping 72 hours. To prevent the virus, we wash our hands extra often; on average 4.3 times a day.
Some more facts
Colleagues are seen as the biggest spreaders of colds and flu (28 percent), closely followed by children (26 percent). Moreover, once we catch a cold, we go out less often, exercise less and kiss our partner less often.
