supergirly

Hey everyone,

Just wandering if everyone gets riddled with colds/flus during winter in canada the same way they do in britain? Or is it too cold for the germs to survive?

jad n rich

Huh ???

Mind you on that theory, Calgarians would be rather well this year

Alberta_Rose

I was here about 18 months or more before I even caught a cold. In over three years I have had maybe 3-4? I used to get several each year back in UK. I think the cold weather and the dry atmosphere (Calgary) actually helps keep the bugs down!

debbiem

Hmmm. My 10 week old got RSV from daycare (yes, yes, I know, he was 10 weeks old and in daycare, but I wanted to go skiing lol) and judging by the amount of snot flying around most nurseries I ever went to, not too much different. Small children are such a delight. If you don't have contact with any, that would be a real help in keeping colds and germs at bay.

Londonuck

I was never healthier when i lived in Canada. I brought back a flu once from a xmas trip to London and it was awful. The 9 hour flight was so bad!

cov-canuck

We find the same - we used to have 4+ colds in the UK that would drag on, go down into the chest, etc. Here I think we get maybe 1 a year, and it's over much faster and is easier to deal with.

BristolUK

Yes...fewer colds. Off the shelf Meds seems to work better when you do get one too.

AmyDavid

Just to be different...I get more colds here than I ever did in the UK - but then I am also surrounded by snotty kids - one of which is at school now, so I suppose that could be a factor?

pennyhp

I have been here for around 20 months so this is my second winter.

I think I had a couple of sniffles last winter but I cant even remember now so they can't have been that bad.
I few weeks ago I had what I would class as my first real proper head cold.

In the UK I didn't often get sick, but I would get a bit of a cold from time to time and it would drag on for weeks without ever developing into the real thing, which was annoying.
But not here.............so far

BristolUK

I think it could be. When I first moved over I joined my Canadian wife and stepkids who were living with her parents in an apartment. Colds moved from one to another and back around again.

Since we moved to our own house here, colds are few and far between and don't get passed on routinely.

triumphguy

Use Buckley's it works!

Elaine B.

yeah but it tastes awful

Louisecooke

I used to get lots of colds in the UK, but have never had one in the 3 1/2 years we've been out here.

Cookie

I haven't had a cold here either in 2 years. A couple of months ago I did get a flu shot for the first time because of the type of work I do.

OH has a a few colds - he works a lot outdoors.

Steve_P

I don't believe that the cold weather in Canada's winters really does anything to kill cold and flu bugs. If that were the case there would be no need for cold and flu medicines in this country and believe me the stores are full of those.

I usually get one or two colds per year.

I just recently had one with a particularly nasty cough to go with it luckily it only lasted two or three days.

I also think it depends on who you associate with. My son is a teacher he has thirty odd teenagers in his class he gets more than his fair share of colds, the same seems to apply for elementary teachers.

If you go to places were there are lots of people or ride public transit in rush hours you are going to increase your chances of catching something.