Doctors warn against buying pre-used tissues loaded with someone else's cold

Tired of waking up feeling fine on Mondays, but getting sick right as the weekend begins?

A new company might have the answer - tissues used by sick people.

Vaev says its unusual offering allows users to get sick on their "own terms".

"The simple idea is you choose now to get sick, with the idea in mind that you won't get sick with that same cold... later," founder OIiver Niessen told Time magazine.

"That kind of freedom, that kind of luxury to choose - I mean, we customise everything in our lives and we have everything the way that we want it, so why not approach sickness that way as well?"

Each tissue has been sneezed on by one of 10 sneezers the company recruited, and sell for a whopping $118 each. They're currently sold out though, with none of the 10 having been sick recently.

Mr Niessen says Vaev tissues seem popular with people who don't want vaccines.

"Our customers are people who want to educate themselves on what do vaccines really mean for me and my family, and are there alternatives?"

Vaev's tissues
Vaev's tissues cost a lot. Photo credit: Supplied

He rejected claims it's all a hoax, which could land him in trouble - sending infectious substances through the post without a good reason is against US law, and doctors say the effects could be fatal.

"There is nothing positive that can come from this, only things that are adverse," William Schaffner, professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University," told Time.

Earlier this month the World Health Organisation named anti-vaccine advocates as one of the top 10 threats to global health.

There are more than 200 types of virus that cause what we call the common cold, and they're all constantly evolving - that's why there has never been an effective vaccine.

"You're going to have to shove about 200 tissues up your nose each time to get a different one," Charles Gerba, professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona, told Time.

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