by: Emily Wheeler
Pretty much everyone who lives a sizable distance away from the equator has heard someone tell them that if they don’t bundle up before going out into the chilly weather, they’ll certainly get a cold. Some parents are obsessive about making sure their children look like Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” before they even let them consider going outside in the winter, and some well-educated adults still love to blame the outdoor temperature for their sniffles and coughs. We’ve had our share of cold weather and plenty of coughs and sneezes in Chapel Hill lately, but when we look into the facts, can the cold actually give you a cold?
Common cold symptoms include a sore throat that lasts for just one or two days, runny nose or nasal congestion, and a cough. Many different mild viruses, including the frequently mentioned rhinovirus, cause these symptoms. (Who knew that rhinos were the real cause of colds!? Sarcasm…) Viruses also cause the flu, which manifests symptoms similar to cold symptoms but with typically higher intensity and duration, and may also include fever, full-body achiness, and extreme exhaustion (1).
Because both cold and flu are caused by viruses, you cannot get a cold simply from being cold. Viral infections must enter the body through the eyes, nose, or mouth by contact with the virus itself, whether you’ve touched an infected desk at school or shared a drink with your significant other (1).
On the other hand, cold temperatures can indeed be an indirect cause of getting a cold. If you are out in the cold for an extended period of time without proper clothing, your overall body temperature will decrease to a point that suppresses the immune system. Cold temperatures can also cause blood vessels in the nose to constrict, leading to a dry nose and less mucus as a defense system in your sinus cavity. This combination of a suppressed immune system and decreased mucus, which is a first line of defense against viruses, can make you more susceptible to being infected by a virus with which you come into contact (2). However, exercising outside in the cold typically keeps the core body temperature from dropping too low, so don’t expect to see any hard-core runners staying indoors just because it feels like a refrigerator outside.
Cold temperatures may also stimulate mild asthma events in asthmatic individuals without causing a full-blown attack. Exposure to the cold may also actually stimulate your immune system to release more of the hormone norepinephrine, which can act as a decongestant and cause your nose to run (2). Many people mistake these symptoms for symptoms of an oncoming cold, and are quick to blame the weather for these naturally occurring events!
In fact, you might be more likely to catch a cold by staying indoors all the time in the winter because others around you are doing the same, creating a great environment for all of those cold-causing viruses to spread between several people in a limited amount of space.
The most effective ways to avoid getting a cold or the flu are not to bundle up or stay inside. Instead, you should wash your hands with warm water and soap often, and keep your hands away from your face! Certainly try to use hand sanitizer or wash your hands before you eat, put in contacts, or even rub your eyes.
As the evidence shows, the old saying that “the cold will give you a cold” turns out to be just a myth. Many sources say this assumption likely carries over from before medical knowledge had progressed enough to understand the immune system and the transmission of disease. People noticed that more people seemed to be sick during cold times of the year (the time we now like to call flu season), so they figured that the cold must be the culprit. People also used to think that swamp air caused malaria, when in fact it was the mosquitoes living near the swamps (2). Luckily, we now know that going out in the cold in shorts and a tee shirt might not give you a cold with coughs and sniffles, but we can’t change the fact that you’ll still look silly.
Enjoy this short video with great illustrations to hear more about other hypotheses that may explain more about the indirect relationship between getting sick, and being cold!
Flu Vaccine Clinic by Lower Columbia College (LCC), Flickr Creative Commons
Want to avoid catching the flu this winter? Here are ten quick tips to help you stay healthy and flu-free in 2015.
- Get the flu shot! It’s not too late. Call Campus Health at 919-966-2281 and make an appointment to get yours today! ****Note: As of 1/13/15 Campus Health is out of flu vaccines. Check out this link to Locate available flu vaccines in your area.
- Wash your hands vigorously and frequently with soap and water.
- Avoid commonly touched areas (doorknobs, faucets, keyboards at the library, etc.) as much as possible, and wipe them down with sanitizing wipes often. Carry a pack of sanitizing wipes with you so that you’re always prepared.
- Make sure to get plenty of Vitamin C each day, which is found in oranges, grapefruits, red and green peppers, broccoli, and many other fruits and vegetables!
- Get plenty of sleep! Your body needs to be well rested to fight off the flu.
- Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes as much as possible. This will help stop the spread of germs.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. This is how the flu spreads.
- Clean and disinfect frequently used areas in your dorm room/apartment/house. For example, clean your kitchen countertops and bathroom sinks regularly. Disinfect your laptop keyboard, doorknobs, and appliance (e.g., microwave, oven, and refrigerator) handles with sanitizing wipes frequently.
- Carry hand sanitizer with you throughout the day for those times when you aren’t able to wash your hands with soap and water.
- Check out Campus Health’s information on what to do if you do get sick or visit the CDC so that you’re prepared. And be on the lookout for the flu’s most common symptoms: cough, fever, runny/stuffy nose, sore throat, chills, body aches, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Questions? Need more information? Think you might have the flu? Contact Campus Health at 919-966-2281 or visit http://campushealth.unc.edu/flu.
Previously known as CHECS appointments, Student Wellness offers sexual wellness education appointments with a trained health educator to individuals as well as student pairs. Topics for these appointments include but are not limited to:
- Contraceptive option consultations and education;
Photo “Devious Question” by Zita, Flickr Creative Commons
- HIV testing and counseling;
- Well Woman’s Exams questions;
- Post-diagnosis STI management questions; and
- Other concerns or questions relating to sexual health.
When are educational appointments available?
For the Fall 2014 semester, sexual wellness education appointments will be offered:
- Tuesdays, 1PM-3PM
- Wednesdays, 10AM-12PM
- Thursdays, 10AM-1PM
- Fridays, 10AM-11AM
How does a student make a sexual wellness education appointment?
Because of limited availability and space, students should call Student Wellness at 919-962-WELL ahead of time to schedule an appointment. Depending on demand, there are usually available appointments within the week. Walk-in appointments may also be available if other appointments are not yet scheduled.
Free HIV Testing at World AIDS Day!
Photo “World AIDS Day, December 1″ by Sully Pixel, Flickr Creative Commons
Every year on December 1, people worldwide write to increase awareness and testing for HIV on World AIDS Day. This year Student Wellness and other campus partners will be celebrating this day on December 2 by offering a free, confidential, fast HIV testing in the Union from 10am-4:45pm. For more information visit the Facebook event for the day.
For further questions about these appointments and World AIDS Day, please contact [email protected].
Every year on April 24th, organizations worldwide try to increase awareness about meningitis, emphasize the importance of vaccination, and provide support to those who have been affected by this disease.
Why is knowing about meningitis important?
Globally, more than 1.2 million people are affected by various forms of meningitis every year.
- About 10% of patients die and up to 20% have devastating sequelae such as brain damage, hearing loss, seizures, and loss of limbs.
- Some countries (e.g. developing countries or sub-Saharan Africa) have higher incidence of disease, so traveling students need to be aware and consider the meningitis vaccine before travel.
In the United States, 16 to 21 year olds have higher rates of meningococcal disease (this is a form of meningitis caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria).
- High risk groups include students that live in residence halls and military recruits.
- While the disease burden in the US is not as high as other countries, outbreaks continue.
- Colleges and universities are particularly vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks given the close proximity of individuals.
- Princeton University and the University of California at Santa Barbara experienced bacterial meningitis outbreaks recently. Princeton University’s Student Health Advisory Board developed the following video after they experienced the meningitis outbreak.
- Another student at Drexel University became infected with the same strain that had caused the outbreak at Princeton University, and passed away.
Locally, in Chapel Hill, a high school student passed away in February from bacterial meningitis. http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=9438027
What is the best way to decrease your chances of getting meningococcal meningitis?
- Vaccination with the meningitis vaccine is the best action an individual can take to help prevent this terrible disease.
- A booster dose is recommended if vaccine was received before 16 years old.
- While more cases of meningococcal disease occur in the winter months, it can happen to anyone, anytime of the year.
Know the warning signs: fever, headache, neck stiffness, light sensitivity, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, drowsiness and rash. Symptoms of meningitis can occur and progress quickly (i.e. within a few hours). Symptoms usually start within 3-4 days of exposure but can take as long as 14 days.
Please follow up at Campus Health Services or your primary care provider if you would like more information about meningitis or would like the vaccine.
Thevy S. Chai, MD
“HIV/AIDS has no boundaries.” – Annie Lennox
What’s the problem?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were approximately 34 million people living with HIV in 2011. Along with serious health consequences, HIV comes with a wave of stigma and discrimination. Especially in the United States, the fight to end the spread of HIV is intertwined with the fight for social justice. Several myths about HIV have circulated around the public sphere after the media coined the acronym GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) in the early 1980s. However, even after the CDC realized that GRID was in fact non-existent since the sickness was not isolated to one community, people ran with the original stereotype. Unfortunately, the finish line to end the spread of HIV is nowhere in sight! One of the problems is that there is a lack of truth and education around HIV.
What is HIV?
Contrary to the widespread belief, HIV is not a disease. It is a virus – but a pretty serious one. Our bodies are able to fight off other viruses like the common cold, but for some reason, we just can’t rid our bodies of HIV. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Our immune system is comprised of various types of cells, each having special roles to fight off infections. HIV attacks one such cell, the CD4 cell. The higher your CD4 cell count, the stronger your immune system is and the better you are at fighting infections. HIV attacks our CD4 cells by entering them and becoming part of their life cycle. Think of…mind control. When HIV takes over a CD4 cell, it no longer thinks it is a CD4 cell. When the CD4 cell (with its brain taken over by the virus) tells itself to ‘replicate,’ HIV replicates. This leads to an increase in HIV, a decrease in CD4, and a compromised immune system. If the CD4 cell count drops significantly, an individual has AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. HIV may or may not lead to AIDS, so HIV and AIDS are not the same thing, as commonly perceived.
Image from http://aids.gov
Who gets HIV?
Given that HIV can be transmitted through sex, contaminated sharp instruments or breastfeeding, almost all individuals are at risk. HIV transcends geographic, socioeconomic, political, racial, and gender boundaries, to name a few! Some individuals have a higher risk than others depending on how often they are exposed to the following five fluids of HIV transmission: blood, vaginal fluid, semen, precum (pre-ejaculate), and breast milk. Yes, even breast milk.
A person’s sexual network (a group of people one individual is connected to through sexual contact), which may be influenced by race, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation, may also influence his/her/zir risk for contracting HIV. Think of it in terms of probability! For example, let’s say Person A is an African American man who has sex with other men, and Person B is a White man who does not have sex with other men. Person A has a smaller number of potential sexual partners than Person B. In other words, Person A has a smaller sexual network. In terms of numbers, this means that if someone in Person A’s network becomes infected with HIV, he has a higher chance of also becoming infected even if he engages in the exact same level of “risky sexual behavior” as Person B.
HIV Prevention and Treatment
The key to prevention is education. With a lack of education about the truth, millions of individuals become infected because they believe HIV is only a black/gay ‘disease’. In reality, these communities have high infection rates due to historical inequitable access to care and modern institutions that keep these communities at a lower socioeconomic status and maintain this unequal access. One treatment, ART (antiretroviral therapy), involves drugs that help HIV-positive individuals lead relatively normal, healthy lives by raising CD4 counts to the point where some individuals become ‘undetectable’ for HIV. Unfortunately not everyone can afford ART.
Other than breaking down myths (which the Center for Aids Research is excellent at doing!), we need to educate young individuals about the risks of sexual transmission BEFORE they put themselves in high-risk situations. Adolescents can be educated about practicing safe-sex by teaching them the five fluids of HIV transmission and proper condom-use, as they are the ONLY way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections. By encouraging them to frequently get tested, it will become a regular part of healthy relationships. With an early education, these individuals will lead healthier lives and educate their partners. This cascade effect can educate future generations about the risks and truths about HIV. I cannot do this alone!
Together, we must join the movement for HIV prevention through education and awareness. To join this movement, share this blog post to promote the truth.
For more information on HIV and AIDS, see the CDC page at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/index.html
Meningitis is a serious disease, and college students are at a higher risk to get certain types of meningitis. Why?
- Shared living arrangements: Meningitis can spread quickly when folks live in close proximity to each other because it is spread by the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions (e.g. coughing and kissing). Residence halls and large apartment buildings fit this bill.
- Age: Meningitis risk increases for people age 16-21, which are the ages of high school and traditionally-aged college students.
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