From the moment we learn to communicate, we always get told, whether by our parents, or our teachers, or by anyone else, to avoid the cold, or to put a jacket on to avoid catching a cold, to dry our hair before we go outside, because we'll get sick otherwise, so on and so forth. I also was diagnosed with a pneumonia last year, while in Switzerland under chilly conditions ($-20^◦\text{C}$). This made me wonder, why does the cold make us sick? It doesn't seem logical to me that a viral infection like the common cold, or a viral/bacterial infection such as a pneumonia is more prevalent when it's colder outside. I always figured it was because our bodies are less 'effective' under cold temperatures, but this seems lacking to me. Can anyone explain?
Answer
it does not, really. unless we're talking about things like frostbite or severe hypothermia.
it's a myth that it does. the virus is more stable in colder air, however.
see more here:
Study Shows Why the Flu Likes Winter
Influenza Virus Transmission Is Dependent on Relative Humidity and Temperature
Innate responses proved to be comparable between animals housed at 5 °C and 20 °C, suggesting that cold temperature (5 °C) does not impair the innate immune response in this system.
No comments:
Post a Comment