Scientists may have finally figured out why there’s a “flu season,” why flu is so much more prevalent during the cold months:
Dr. Zimmerberg and his colleagues found that at temperatures slightly above freezing, the virus’s lipid covering solidified into a gel. As temperatures approach 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the covering gradually thaws, eventually melting to a soupy mix.
Cooler temperatures, apparently, cause the virus to form the rubbery outer covering that can withstand travel from person to person, Dr. Zimmerberg said. Once in the respiratory tract, the warm temperature in the body causes the covering to melt to its liquid form, so that the virus can infect the cells of its new host, he added.
This could open up research into new ways to disrupt the viruses’ transmission.
Hey, does this mean that, if global warming proceeds as generally thought, the incidence of flu worldwide will decrease?
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I do my best…
Always one to find a silver lining, aren’t you?