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I was wondering if there any connection between cold weather and FLU/cold? I`ve noticed much more people are getting flu in cold weather during the winter. I`ve read a lot of scientific articles about it but it seems no official explanations have come out yet! It`s supposed that the more dry air the better for the virus. There is another theory which claims that people are getting flu more often in cold winter weather because of lack of sunshine and vitamin D as well!
Thus i`d like to make a mini quiz about this topic. I`d like everyone who`s gonna post an answer also will add the place he lives.
I usually get flu/cold 3-4 times during the winter. Actually right now i`m so sick)
I haven't been properly sick in 7 years, but there is almost always a day or two in mid-autumn, just when the temperatures drop to below comfortable levels and when there is barely any sunshine, when I get some symptoms of a cold. Autumn is really the flu season here, by the time winter comes people more or less get used to the cold.
I normally get a cold in autumn, then another in spring. It seems to be the changing seasons that gets to me. Although of course it's not guaranteed that I'll get a cold at these times, but that's usually when it happens.
I've never had the flu. My wife had swine flu about 5 years ago, and that was pretty bad.
No there's no correlation. The only reason there's more sickness during cold weather is because people tend to spend indoors when it's cold outside, hence making it easier to spread sickness.
If people weren't whiny babies and actually spend time outside despite them not liking the weather, this wouldn't happen as often.
Of course, I'm not speaking of climates where there's EXTREME (well below zero) winters.
FTR - I get sick more often in summer it seems but our winters aren't cold at all here, while having quite hot and humid summers.
I normally get a cold in autumn, then another in spring. It seems to be the changing seasons that gets to me. Although of course it's not guaranteed that I'll get a cold at these times, but that's usually when it happens.
I've never had the flu. My wife had swine flu about 5 years ago, and that was pretty bad.
Me too. I got colds (sore throat, runny nose) in between seasons most of the time, especially in autumn.
However, I do happen to get influenza or bad viruses in the middle of winter (thankfully they are rare). I'm guessing because since they're viral their outspread "peak" at around that time of the season.
Oh, how bad was it? How long did take for her to recover?
Me too. I got colds (sore throat, runny nose) in between seasons most of the time, especially in autumn.
However, I do happen to get influenza or bad viruses in the middle of winter (thankfully they are rare). I'm guessing because since they're viral their outspread "peak" at around that time of the season.
Oh, how bad was it? How long did take for her to recover?
I tend to get them around August/September for some reason.
As if the lingering (and tiring) heat isn't already an annoyance that time of year, I tend to be sick that time of year too. '
I live in Corvallis, Oregon in the U.S. Pacific northwest. I got a cold this December for the first time since 2010. I managed to get a case of influenza last April (and who in the northern hemisphere gets the flu in April!?). Other than that I've been symptom free.
The reason why colds seem to be more prevalent in winter is people spend more time indoors and are thus are easier for those who do get sick to share their wealth.
No there's no correlation. The only reason there's more sickness during cold weather is because people tend to spend indoors when it's cold outside, hence making it easier to spread sickness.
That's not true for many Australians though (excluding those from the southeast - Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart).
Our summers are too hot. So we'd avoid going outdoors more in that season (unless if we're going to swim). Our winters are comfortable enough for walking and hiking. We usually spend more time outdoors in the cool season. And yet, we still get sick more in that season. How do you explain that?
There is a reason why people tend to get the rhinovirus when temps suddenly plummet:
"Here’s Carl Zimmer, reporting for the New York Times on Thursday:
At body temperature, the cells responded with a sophisticated defense, sending out warning signals to uninfected cells around them. Those cells prepared an arsenal of antiviral proteins, which they used to destroy the rhinoviruses.
But at a relatively cool 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit, Dr. Iwasaki and her colleagues found, things changed.
The neighboring cells only managed a weak defense, allowing the rhinoviruses to invade them and multiply. This result pointed to an explanation for why rhinoviruses plague humans at low temperatures: In cool conditions, the immune system somehow falters."
Sudden temperature change can also make you sick. Going in and out from heated indoors and outdoors that are 15C cooler is bad for your immune system. Indeed though, being around a lot of people indoors isn't also helping. But that is surely NOT the sole factor here.
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but our winters aren't cold at all here, while having quite hot and humid summers.
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