This will be interesting to understand. But real work in this regard is actually difficult to conduct. But I understand that yes culture could play role in virus transmission for e.g. SARS, Rhinovirus etc.

If I were you, I'd write in to the program Radiolab (of WNYC) and ask them. They did a piece several years back on unrelated things that I think might have given them data on measuring personal space in various cultures.

All respiratory viruses are transmitted through the aerosol route. This could mean, either due to close proximal distance between two or more individuals ( the point you have raised) or poor hygiene/touch/contact with infected person or use of same objects previously touched by infected individuals. Apart from individuals being susceptible to H1N1 swine flu virus across the globe, the points I have mentioned in the former are the few things that led to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009 !

Nonetheless your idea of measuring how different cultures in different countries effect the transmission of rhinovirus might be prospective ! Good luck

Does play a role, maybe not a significant role.

Katherine Davoli, If I were you, I'd write in to the program Radiolab (of WNYC) and ask them. They did a piece several years back on unrelated things that I think might have given them data on measuring personal space in various cultures.

I believe what he said.

I think it depends on virus to virus. Aerosol viruses spread faster than non-Aerosal viruses. A study might be done but its a difficult job

Uncountable factors should be considered (e.g. living standard, transportation,...), if a study were conducted.

This idea appears be interesting, but I guess there are several biases to conduct the study. Since the virus is transmitted through a transmission network and people have heterogeneous contact, the "amount of personal distance due to culture habits" could not be a proper measure to evaluate the viral spread in a whole population. Perhaps, the winter plays a major role than culture to transmission of respiratory virus, since during this season people tend to share a common ambient. Just my opinion...

Its common knowledge to infectious disease clinicians that cases of inluenza and other respiratory viruses are "seasonal" and often attributed to persons being inside or in an enclosed space in winter months. For example "flu" season starts in October and generally goes to February in the Northern hemisphere, conversely flu season begin in the June for the Southern hemisphere.

Like you way of thinking. But lot more factors to be analysed before narrowing down to distance relation alone to infection. Do more search and post it

Even with "seasonal" viruses there might be differences in spread among households that could be attributed to cultural differences.

I imagine that such norms do play a role in virus transmission, with personal touching norms perhaps being even more important than interpersonal distance. In this particular case, though, I believe that rhinovirus, like the flu, is most often transmitted via surfaces to the hand and then to the eyes or nose.