The colder temperatures in the Northeast are thought to be the virus' preferred climate.
Cooler it is indeed. Its the first day of summer and no one even noticed here in upstate NY. Many were out today with jackets on.
Reuters: CDC sees "something different" with new flu
So far the virus is causing mild to moderate disease, but it has killed at least 167 people and been confirmed in nearly 40,000 globally.
"The areas of the country that are most affected, some of them have very high population densities, like Boston and New York. So that may be a contributor as well. Plus the temperature in that part of the country is cooler, and we know that influenza appears to like the cooler times of the year for making transmission for effective."
7 comments:
I read a study on this. Turns out it's not exposure or going without a hat or boots in winter that gets you sick, it's just that viruses like the cold.
Does that mean that anyone is vulnerable to "catching" a virus?
Or does a compromised immune system play any part as well even in the cold?
Is it strictly because the virus is just more prevalent in the cold?
Flu like cool dry air, it's a fact! That's why as summer kicks in it dies away. A/C has somewhat mitigated this though.
You get the flu in the cold months so the intuitive folk assumption is that you're not keeping warm enough. It's not good to be cold, wrap up for heaven's sake, if you would just dress properly you won't get sick.
Turns out, Mom was wrong.
One last thing - has anyone done a statistical type of study on this? For example is the percentage of people getting the flu or colds in any one year greater in places that are cold like upstate NY than in places that are warm and dry like Nevada?
Yes, the CDC has done studies on this. Flu likes cool dry conditions . The average American home in winter is as dry as the Sahara and kept at average 67 degs. Perfect flu climate. Flu goes away in hi humidity and heat above 80. By the way, the infamous Spanish Flu was no different and killed whole remote Eskimo villages off in Alaska during it's deadly run.
Part of the reason why Avian Flu so far hasn't gotten a firm hold is because it's trying to evolve in Hot places like Vietnam and Indonesia. The heat and humidity of these places tamps down the spread to some extant. Northern China tends to be the hot bed for new flu starts.
Interesting, it explains a lot.
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