Being cold doesn’t make you sick, so why are illnesses more common in winter?

By Manal Mohammed, Senior Lecturer, Medical Microbiology, University of Westminster

Many people across cultures grow up hearing that cold weather makes you sick. Going outside without a coat, breathing in cold air, sleeping in a chilly room, getting caught in cold rain or snow, or simply feeling chilled are often blamed for causing colds or flu.

This belief feels true to many people because illness often follows cold exposure. However, modern research shows that the connection between cold weather and illness is more nuanced than the idea that cold directly causes disease.

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