Happy Holidays! The Christmas season is upon us! Yesterday (Dec. 09) my little town of Kirksville, Mo. got about six inches of snow. I love snow. The world seems quieter and brighter with all that white stuff lying on the ground.
You are probably starting to wonder why I am talking about snow. What does snow have to do with microbiology? Nothing really; however, during the winter months people get sick more often. Microorganisms make us sick and so you can see that winter is a busy time for the spread of microbes from person to person.
However, people do not get sick more often in the winter because of the cold. Studies have shown that you are not more likely to get sick if you forget to wear a coat during a cold winter day. You are however, more likely to freeze to death.
Cold temperature in and of itself does NOT make you sick. Microorganisms cause us to become sick. We don't get microorganisms from cold temperatures, we get them from each other, our pets and our environment. People get sick more often in the winter because we stay indoors with other people for longer time periods. By closing up our homes to keep out the cold, we keep in the warmth and those nasty microorganisms.
To lessen your likelihood of getting sick, go outside more. Avoid large groups of people. Wash your hands frequently. I know those solutions are easier said than done, especially at this time of year.
This week I don't have any microbiology sites appropriate for the topic. However, I found a neat Christmas site you may be interested in viewing called Jerry's Christmas Page — lots of neat animated images. Something about this time of year really distracts me. I guess it is because I love Christmas.
Take Care and Think Microbiologically!
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