Kudzai Jakachira
Colds, flus and other respiratory illnesses are often more common in colder months.
Cold temperatures and low humidity dry out your eyes and the mucous membranes in your nose and throat for the reason that viruses that cause colds and flues are typically inhaled, the virus can attach more easily to these impaired, dried-out passages.
Colds and Flues can contribute to one being affected by a cough and coughs are usually unsafe if one is infected by a harmful one like the HMPV, coughing virus, it is in the Pneumoviridae family, along with the more commonly known respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. “HMPV causes disease very similar to RSV,” Blumberg said. “This includes
upper respiratory symptoms that sometimes progress to pneumonia or
bronchiolitis and wheezing.”
These include respiratory infections like asthma and COPD, cardiovascular issues, and even autoimmune disorders.
The increased prevalence of cold waves also raises the risk of frostbite, hypothermia, and chilblains.
For example, Hypothermia, when exposed to cold temperatures, your body
begins to lose heat faster than it is produced, prolonged exposure to
cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy, the result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature.
Cold temperatures cause our blood vessels to narrow, which can increase blood pressure and thicken the blood, raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Hasty weather changes can make it tougher for our bodies to adjust, specifically for older adults or people with current health conditions.
For older people in specific, the longer the exposure to the cold, the more risk of heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia, depression, worsening arthritis and increased accidents at home.
A bacteria caused by cold temperatures may cause sinusitis, and other illnesses, a common cold can lead to illnesses of the lungs, such as pneumonia or bronchitis., people with asthma or weakened immune systems have an increased risk of these conditions.
This means that, even if certain patterns occasionally transport freezing polar air southward, winters on the whole are likely to be milder than in the past.
When exposed to the cold, your body can lose heat faster than it can produce, this can lead to cold-related illness or even death.
Cold-related illness includes many health problems such as hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot, or chilblains, that occur when the body becomes too cold.
The latest climate models overwhelmingly project that cold extremes will continue to diminish as greenhouse gas concentrations rise.