Why do infections with colds and influenza increase in winter?

Infections with colds, influenza and other respiratory diseases increase significantly in the winter season, which people do not know the scientific cause yet, as viruses and germs are generally present in the air throughout the year.

However, according to a new scientific study, the reason for the increase in colds and influenza infections in winter in particular may be due to the fact that the cold air itself harms the immune response that occurs in the nose.

According to the study reported by the American network “CNN”, reducing the temperature inside the nose by no more than 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) kills nearly 50 percent of the billions of virus- and bacteria-resistant cells inside it.

The study team exposed four participants to 15 minutes of temperatures of 4.5 degrees Celsius, then measured the changes that occurred inside the nasal cavities.

“The nose is the main entry point for viruses and germs into the body,” the researchers wrote in the study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

In the front of the nose there are lining cells that quickly detect viruses and bacteria and immediately start creating billions of cells that are resistant to them.

They added, "However, with a decrease in temperature, the ability of these cells to fight viruses decreases, and with time, about 42 percent of them die."

"Cold air is associated with an increase in viral infection because you lose almost half of your immunity due to the drop in temperature," said the study's lead author, Dr. Benjamin Blair, a professor at Harvard Medical School.

Bleier and his colleagues advised people to wear face masks (gags) to warm the nose and protect it from exposure to low temperatures.

The team also expressed hopes to develop future medicines and treatments aimed at raising the temperature of the nose in winter to combat infection.

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