Many of us associate the winter months with cold and flu season. And we’re not wrong. Flu season occurs in the winter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although outbreaks can happen as early as October and as late as May.
What is wrong is associating the uptick in illness with being outside in the cold weather. In reality, the reason we’re getting sick more often during the winter is because we’re going inside to stay out of the cold.
“When you’re inside more often due to cold weather, you’re in close contact more often with other people, some of whom are sneezing and coughing, which is why these viruses are spreading so quickly,” said Dr. John La Count, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office.
Also, “There are up to 200 different viruses that can cause the common cold,” he said. “If you haven’t had a particular strand of virus and someone in the same room with you sneezes nearby, you’re going to pick it up and have the symptoms. Typically, those will last seven to 10 days, during which time you can spread it to other people. It’s a vicious cycle.”
And it’s important to note that you don’t have to have direct contact with a person to be infected by a virus. You can pick it up by simply touching a surface that someone with a virus recently touched. Your hands will then inoculate your body, causing the illness to develop.
The best way to keep healthy this flu season, La Count said, is to wash your hands, get plenty of rest and make sure you’re eating appropriately. You also should get the flu shot if you haven’t already, and know that antivirals such as Tamiflu may not help as much as we previously thought.
“Tamiflu will make you get well about a day sooner than you would otherwise,” La Count said, “but you’re still not going to feel well for somewhere between seven and 10 days, and it needs to be started as soon as possible to minimize the virus from replicating.”
