a change in weather DOES make you ill?

[unitedcountriesofindia]

I am one to support science and medicine usually and go by the advice of a doctor, but one thing I have always noticed is that a sudden drop in temperature is highly likely to make you ill.

The temperature suddenly dropped and a few people around me came back with flu overnight. Is it basically safe to assume that a drop in temperature means you should wrap up warm even if you can tolerate the lower temperature in order to avoid getting sick or ill the next morning?

I think it's more to do with certain viruses/bacteria being at their optimum at certain temperatures. But I do think that some people are more sensitive to changes in the weather, as well and if you are cold, it lowers your immune system.

A drop in temperature won’t give you ‘flu’, but could make you more susceptible to bugs and viruses. Cold weather can make your nose run simply because it does - there is no viral action there. More people only tend to become ill with colds/flus in the cooler seasons because they congregate together in smaller spaces and don’t tend to get out as much (and then cough, and sneeze, etc.) I don’t think it’s likely a simple temperature drop would result in people sick the next morning with the flu.

Flu is going around apparently. I caught it in April one year and it was sunny. People stay inside more in the cold so pass bugs. It doesn’t matter how cold you get, you won’t get flu without a virus present. There may be evidence cold contributes to immune system changes but it’s not conclusive as to the real extent or reason. It’s probably not about the change in temperature, as it was that cold, more about the change in behaviour and a flu virus being in proximity.

I wonder if the immune system weakness should mean that doctors advice patients that cold weather can make you more likely to get the cold/flu.

It reminds me of the child who comes in soaking wet and doesn't dry off and manages to get sick by the next morning.