germs...

[xoxokt]

just wondering....
i think i read somewhere that germs are killed between 62 and 105 degrees.
if thats so...
why are s*v* more common in the winter?
why doesnt the cold kill the germ?

[KaydeeJayde]

I think it's probably because they're housed inside our bodies where it's much warmer. I'm not sure why they're more common in the winter, maybe because people rug up more?

[Rebecca85]

Because people are in closer contact, ie stuck inside more. And heating is on! And cold doesn't actually kill viruses, it renders them inactive. When they warm up they can become active again.

[paulinek]

Noroviruses can survive being frozen believe it or not! It's only cooking for about 3 minutes i think at a certain temperature that kills it.

I'd love to know why it seems to peak in winter, it can't just be because we're indoors more (although i'm sure that does have some part to play) because in hot countries that is probably true but I live in the north of england and the summer only lasted about a month so i wouldn't say i am indoors more now than i was then really and people touch just as many commonly shared surfaces in the summer as the winter too.

[Rebecca85]

Well I work in a school, and to be honest there isn't really a 'season' for noro in our school, it hits in a wave but the wave can happen any time of year.

[xoxokt]

Because people are in closer contact, ie stuck inside more. And heating is on! And cold doesn't actually kill viruses, it renders them inactive.

what exactly does render them inactive mean? it kind of makes them multiply?

[sage]

"renders inactive" means that they become inactive, but they don't "die" because they're not "alive" in the first place. They only come to life inside of a host (a person).

It used to be that norovirus was more prevalent in winter, but with world travel now it's always winter somewhere. So they're around all year. But if you catch one you'll be immune to it until it mutates - which would be next "season."

[xoxokt]

geez...its all confusing...haha but not everything is to be understood is there at any time that the cold makes the germ unable to get?