How long diseases like measles and the flu linger in the air — after an infected person has left the room

How long diseases like measles and the flu linger in the air — after an infected person has left the room

Most of us try to dodge coughs and sneezes, but some viral threats aren’t so obvious. Research shows that many viruses can linger in the air and on surfaces long after an infected person has left the room — keeping the risk of infection alive. Take measles. The virus has infected nearly 1,000 people in South Carolina, marking the nation’s largest outbreak of the deadly disease in more than three decades. Indoors, tiny droplets and aerosols can h…