Can you get the Cold sickness from weather???

[dan330]

can a person get sick .. catch a cold from the cold weather???

many think that if you go outside in the cold without proper protection..
you will catch a cold.
but I know that it is not the case. you can only catch it from another sick person.


but what about ...
I hear that the common cold has NO cure.
so the virus is always in your body once you do catch it.
so in theory.. if you are in the cold weather and your body temperature gets low.. then your immune systems is weak.
then cant the dormant cold virus in your body get aggressive again?
if this is possible, then did you not just get the cold from the weather?

 

[lunatic59]

I am not a doctor.

No, you don't catch a cold from being cold. In the cold weather, however, people tend to congregate indoors more making it easier to contract an airborne or surface-borne rhinovirus (aka. the common cold). These viruses are very fragile and don't survive well above normal body temperature (which is why fever is the body's defense). They proliferate and temperatures a bit lower which is why when the weather is colder, they spread better.

Antivirals *might* provide an effective treatment, but usually the symptoms are worse than the infection and it's better just to practice common sense care like rest and fluids. It is my understanding that once you have had a specific virus your immune system will protect you for many years, but, there are hundreds of strains so if one doesn't get you another one will.

There are viruses that can lay dormant (Chicken Pox/shingles) but these aren't "colds".

Cold weather does not compromise your immune system, but the colder dryer air causes your nasal passages to dry out making infection easier.

Chicken soup is an excellent treatment. It's a warm saline liquid promoting hydration and mucous production. Grandma was right.

 

[AMOCO]

You can catch a cold if you go out in to cold,cold weather with wet hair.

 

[dan330]

so if you are on an island of 10,000 people.. very cold island... with lots of penguins.
and NO one has the cold currently showing.. but everyone has had a cold in the past.
and NO one new is allowed on to that island for the next 10 yrs.

NO new outbreaks of the common cold will show up???

 

[lunatic59]

so if you are on an island of 10,000 people.. very cold island... with lots of penguins.
and NO one has the cold currently showing.. but everyone has had a cold in the past.
and NO one new is allowed on to that island for the next 10 yrs.

NO new outbreaks of the common cold will show up???

No, but you could get avian flu from the penguins.

 

[dan330]

so.. if we could get everyone in the world to be over the common cold at the same time...

the common cold would NEVER come back??

(did I just come up with the cure for the common cold????)

 

[lunatic59]

so.. if we could get everyone in the world to be over the common cold at the same time...

the common cold would NEVER come back??

You would have to have zero instances of any infectious virus for longer than the life cycle of the virus for it to disappear. Viruses mutate constantly and i'm sure there are billions of common cold viruses that don't exist any more, just like the dinosaurs.