The arrival of Winter and rainy season cause many viruses to proliferate in societyone of the most common is flu or coldyou’ve probably wondered at some point why the flu is more common in cold weather.
It is well known that the common cold is caused by a cocktail of seasonal viruses that develop better at low temperatures. EL TIEMPO spoke with Jaime Ordóñez, general practitioner and doctor in epidemiology from the University of Antioquia, the expert explained why the flu increases more frequently in the season of low temperatures.
The arrival of cold winter and low temperatures favor the proliferation of colds.
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Why does the flu proliferate more in cities during the rainy season?
One of the main factors that cause more flu cases in the winter season is because on cold days,People and families spend more time indoorswhether in the house or office, so air, oxygen and with them the microbes present in them are shared, causing all the inhabitants of that space to become infected.
“In cold climates, we tend not to open the windows to avoid the cold. If we add to this the population density of Bogotá, where in closed areas such as TransMilenio, supermarkets and offices the windows are usually closed, a ‘perfect storm’ is created to maintain high rates of respiratory infections: poorly ventilated and crowded environments.” , mentions the doctor in epidemiology, Jaime Ordóñez.
Likewise, Dr. Ordóñez mentions that Bogotá faces two important disadvantages regarding respiratory infections: “It is a city where it is cold most of the year and is densely populated. Peaks in respiratory diseases are related to the winter season, leading some people to mistakenly believe that viruses are carried by rain. However, viruses are only transported by living beings, as they cannot survive outside an organism for a long time.”
It is well known that on rainy days, people usually use various strategies to maintain an adequate body temperature and avoid the cold, many of these, such as the use of heating, make The environment dries out and as a consequence the layers of mucosa in the respiratory tract decrease.
For many people, mucus can be annoying, the Mayo Clinic mentions that a layer of this substance Hydrated, it protects the respiratory tract and also functions as a barrier against microorganisms., which cause flu and colds. Meanwhile, the absence of mucus also implies the disappearance of this protection, which facilitates the entry of any type of pathogens through the nasal route, especially those viruses that are specialized in generating infections through this route, such as the case of rhinoviruses.
Research published in 2015 by a team of immunologists at Yale University in the United States found evidence that common cold viruses reproduce better when the temperature drops. This is why the cold season is the perfect ally for the proliferation of respiratory viruses.
ALEJANDRA HERNÁNDEZ TORRES
DIGITAL SCOPE EDITORIAL
TIME
