Why Flu In the Winter?

It's a question that's plagued scientists forever. Well, according to this article in the New York Times, researchers in New York believe they've discovered the reason why. You wanna know? Okay, we'll tell you. They say it has to do with the virus itself, saying it's more stable and stays in the air longer when air is cold and dry, the exact conditions for much of the flu season. Yep, sounds like winter to us.

Flu viruses are more stable in cold air, and low humidity also helps the virus particles remain in the air. That is because the viruses float in the air in little respiratory droplets, says Dr. Peter Palese, a flu researcher who is professor and chairman of the microbiology department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the lead author of the flu study. When the air is humid, those droplets pick up water, grow larger and fall to the ground.

To read the full NY Times article, click here.