Have you ever asked yourself why the common cold is most prevalent at this time of the year, even though its spread is not cold related but viral?
The common cold is most prevalent in the fall or winter season.This is because the viruses that cause colds and flu’s survive better in relatively low humidity and humidity is lower in the colder months of the year. The nasal passages are drier during the colder months of the year and are therefore more vulnerable to viral infection .The opening of schools in the fall means there is a larger population through which the virus can spread. In essence if one student in a class of twenty is infected, he or she stands the chance of infecting at least ten other pupils in their class. Now imagine this effect on a larger scale. On cold days we all love to stay in our halls and huddle up to keep warm,but believe it or not this actually increases the spread of colds. The main reason colds spread faster that way, is because people are in a confined space usually with minimal ventilation;the average person would keep their windows closed tight on a freezing day!
2 ways common cold viruses spread and 4 ways to combat it.
This nasty bug is spread through touching respiratory secretions either on your skin or on a surface and then rubbing your eyes and nose. Im sure this is common practice but if you see mucus or saliva anywhere that is not yours, don’t touch it!
Inhaling small infected particles suspended in the air for a long time or respiratory secretions which have just been released into the air is another way people get infected. A friendly tip, if someone standing right by you sneezes, don’t pick that moment to take a lovely deep breath!
It might seem like viruses are everywhere but keeping free of this bug is as easy as one, two, three and four:
1. Washing your hands frequently and keeping them clean
2. Keeping your hands away from your eyes and nose
3. Always sneezing into a tissue and disposing of it immediately.
For all my Trinity ladies out there pay extra attention to my words because as statistics have it, we are more vulnerable than our fellas!
If you need more information on how to avoid getting the common cold or influenza please do not hesitate to contact Health services.
Citation
statistics and information obtained from http://www.weather.com/outlook/health?role=&from=globalnav
pictures obtained fromhttp://www.heathersanimations.com/ and free clipart.
