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Summer colds
An unexpected summer cold can be just as, if not more miserable than the more predictable winter counterpart. Even though we usually associate colds with dark cold winter days we can still fall to the omnipresent common cold viruses in the sunny days of the summer.
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The chance of getting a cold in the summer is only 1 in 4 compared to the winter, but there are some factors that are associated with the summer that may increase the risk of catching one:
- Long haul jet flights - Long haul jet flights pose a great risk as there are no other periods when we are likely to be squeezed as tightly together with 400 potential sources of common cold infection. The chances are that several of our fellow passengers will have a cold and the confined space of an airplane is a perfect environment for transmission of this airborne illness. Research has shown that the chances of catching a cold are directly related to the number of hours of exposure to the infection. Therefore, you are much more likely to get a cold on a long haul flight than a shorter one.
- Air conditioning - Air conditioning may contribute to infection with common cold viruses. One reason is because air conditioners extract moisture from the air. Read Humid air prevents colds for more information on how this can contribute towards catching a cold. Also, the cold air might also help viruses to establish a grasp in the nose as they reproduce faster in cold circumstances.
- Stress - Any form of stress will lower our resistance to infection, since stress depresses the immune system.
- Travel to foreign countries - Travel to foreign countries can increase the risk of viral infection as we have probably already been exposed and developed resistance to all the common cold viruses in our hometowns but are likely to encounter new cold viruses, to which we have no immunity in foreign countries. We ourselves could be responsible for introducing new viruses into a foreign country if we arrive at our holiday destination with a cold. With the convenience of modern transportation, viruses are rapidly spread and this is why influenza spreads so rapidly around the world during an epidemic.
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