Why the Flu Likes Winter

Why the Flu Likes Winter

(December 6, 2007: In the News)

Researchers at the microbiology department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine say the flu's seasonal preference for winter has to do with the virus itself. It is more stable and stays in the air longer when air is cold and dry. In test animals, the virus was transmitted best at a low humidity, 20%, and not transmitted at all when the humidity reached 80%. The animals also released viruses nearly 2 days longer at 41 degrees than at room temperature of 68 degrees.

As Reported by The New York Times