SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – We’re in the middle of cold and flu season, but a new study is hoping to make future seasons more bearable.

The University of Washington School of Medicine was recently awarded a grant from the CDC to study respiratory illnesses.

Over the course of the next five years, researchers will look into how viral illnesses like the flu, COVID, and RSV spread across communities. Part of the study will involve 2,000 people monitoring their respiratory symptoms on a regular basis.

Others with confirmed respiratory infections may be asked to track where their illness spreads across their household.

Similar studies were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. The university is hoping their latest research can help them better prepare for another mass pandemic, if one occurs.