I never understood why there is a flu season in a particular part of the year and why its usually a different strain or type (H1N1, Type A, ect) can anyone help?
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New flu strains pop up all the time. A particular strain will begin in a small area of the globe, but it will spread. Usually there are several strains that begin in different places, but eventually most spread to larger and larger populations, and often worldwide.
In the US, for instance, the flu season in fall-winter. Flu cases exist outside of that season. But when it gets cold outside people spend more time indoors, on public transit instead of walking or biking, etc. All that togetherness means many people can be exposed in one location (like Covid-19.) Also, people travel a lot for winter holidays, which spreads flu viruses all over the place quickly. So there is always a spike of virus cases in January.
Along with previous response (with regard to flu season): In addition to the fact that people are around each other more often during the winter/holiday season…we also see:
-increased intake of alcohol/junk food/etc
-decreased vitamin D levels because we’re outside less
-decreased levels of physical activity because we’re traveling more and outside less often
-increased stress because well, it’s the holidays
This combo is a great way to negatively impact your immune system function and make yourself more likely to get sick.
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