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The Flu Rides in Winter, and a Half Dozen Other Viruses Ride With It

It’s not just the flu, folks. Other viruses are making the rounds in winter, ready to strike you down. (And let me clarify that whole Human Metapneumovirus in China thing while I’m at it.)

René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH
Microbial Instincts
12 min readJan 5, 2025

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Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

It’s that time of the year when seemingly everyone around you is sniffling, sneezing, coughing, or just looking kind of rough. People at the pharmacy are stocking up on fever reducers and pain relievers, and more people than usual are calling off from work. You probably know what’s going on, right? “It’s flu season,” they say on almost every news broadcast.

Well, yes, it is flu season. But it’s more of a winter virus season. As it gets colder in the northern latitudes, people tend to pack in together. This allows viruses to easily spread from person-to-person. Then there are the weather conditions. Cold, dry air allows viruses to stay in the air a little longer. And winter air also dries out the lining of our nose and respiratory tract, allowing any viruses to take hold.

So what are those other viruses? Glad you asked…

Let’s Start With the Easy One: Influenza

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Microbial Instincts
Microbial Instincts

Published in Microbial Instincts

Decoding the microbial angle to health and microbial world (under Medium Boost program).

René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH
René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

Written by René F. Najera, MPH, DrPH

DrPH in Epidemiology. Public Health Instructor. Father. Husband. "All around great guy." https://linktr.ee/rene.najera

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