David Miles: The Viral Sneeze

About this episode

David Miles discusses the complexities of respiratory viral illnesses and prevention strategies related to the common cold and other viruses.

David Miles discusses his book Sneeze: The History and Science of the Common Cold , arguing that “the common cold” is best understood as a broad category of respiratory viral illness that can include influenza and COVID-19, because the same kinds of viruses can cause anything from mild symptoms to severe disease. The conversation covers COVID immunity, Omicron, rhinovirus, hantavirus, virus transmission, masks, folk remedies, long COVID, airborne prevention, and the history of cold research, emphasizing that viruses are diverse, often poorly understood, and can have serious individual and social consequences. Miles stresses that prevention matters: better ventilation, HEPA filtration, masks in high-risk settings, staying home when sick, and stronger public health responses can reduce transmission and protect vulnerable people. David Miles on the Hantavirus: We asked David to write an assessment of the current hantavirus outbreak: At the time of writing (10th May 2026), there have been eight cases of Andes virus, a species of hantavirus, on the cruise ship Hondius. It’s carried by rodents and causes a very serious disease, with fatality rates estimated between one and…

People in this episode

Guest: David Miles

Topics covered

• common cold
• respiratory viral illness
• COVID immunity
• virus transmission
• public health
• prevention strategies

Keywords

• common cold
• COVID-19
• hantavirus
• virus transmission
• public health
• ventilation
• HEPA filtration
• long COVID

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hondius, COVID-19, Omicron, rhinovirus, hantavirus

Books & works: Sneeze: The History and Science of the Common Cold

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