Effect of influenza B virus infection on human performance.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that influenza reduces people's safety and efficiency in their workplace. Studies of experimentally induced influenza B in volunteers at the Medical Research Council Common Cold Unit showed that infection increased reaction times to stimuli occurring at varying intervals but that hand-eye coordination was unimpaired. We report the results of two studies to determine whether natural influenza B similarly prolongs human reaction times and whether other performance indicators are affected.