
People tend to get viruses in the winter. I know, breaking news. But why?
There is some evidence that we've evolved so that our immune system just becomes less active and effective in the cold than in the warmer weather. Granted, there is still nothing to the idea that you will catch your death of cold if you don't dry your hair before going outside, as everyone's mom told them, but it is part of the reason why we do seem to get sicker around now.
The other thing that happens this time of year, going along with seeking warmth, are family and friend gatherings. All you need is one contagious person who would feel bad if they didn't attend the office party or family gathering coughing and sneezing to spread it out around like wildfire. So if you are feeling sick and have something coming up, please take a moment to think about everyone else attending - some may be very old or young and not have a good immune system and there will always be next time.
And for plane flights, there has been some evidence that one sick person can spread virus particles several rows in every direction - if you are flying, thinking about packing away some masks just in case.