MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) – Would you rub a tissue infected with the flu on your nose to fight off the virus? The product sold out online, and yes, we’ve checked, it is actually real.
We asked people around Mobile if they would consider using the new Vaev tissue.
“So I thought you were lying. I thought this was a major joke.” Scott Stone said.
“No, I don’t think it’s real,” said Julie Wiseman.
It’s no joke, it sold out, and it costs $79.99.
“Why wouldn’t you just go to the pharmacy and get the 20-dollar flu shot?,” she added.
The Vaev tissue says it works “hand in hand with the human body to keep your immune system feeling like your immune system.” All you do is breathe in germs still on a tissue a sick person used before you.
“I think it’s absolutely ludicrous. It’s an old wives’ tale, or I guess it’s a current wives’ tale. No way it’s going to work. There’s a flu vaccine for that, it’s been well developed. People need to get a flu vaccine and not rely on tales from the internet,” Ron Durbin said.
In an interview with Time.com, the founder of the company, Oliver Niessen, says the idea is to choose when you get sick, so you get sick now and don’t later. Niessen says his company, Vaev, has 10 go-to sneezers. Vaev first confirms a person is truly sick, then has the sick person sneeze into a batch of tissues. Vaev packages the infected tissues and sends them off.
Doctors disagree. In the same article, Dr. Charles Gerba from the University of Arizona says the tissues are an “incredible liability”, stating you cannot predict how a person will react to any virus.
We wanted to know who would try it.
Stone said, “Germs can stay dormant on certain things, right? So, who knows.”
Durbin said, “No, absolutely not. I think it’s ridiculous and honestly, it’s quite disgusting.” Wiseman said, “I just think it’s pointless to spend 80-bucks on it. If it was 20-bucks, yes I would do it. If it was 20-bucks, the same price as a flu shot, I would totally do it.”
The tissues are currently sold out online. We reached out to the company to see when they’ll be restocking – but have not heard back.
