spangley Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 It's that time of year here in Northern Europe. Colds, coughs, aches and pains. I'm thoroughly fed up of feeling sick here in the winter. Does anyone find living in Oz cuts the instances you catch colds and nasties? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Look, I hate the cold as much as anyone but funnily enough the only common cold I got last year I picked up on my recce to Oz in August. To be fair I probably got it from someone on the plane and my jet lag left me more vulnerable to it. I am sure people still catch colds over there. I have had one day off sick with my current employer in 5 years so don't believe the UK makes you ill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I can't vouch for what happens now,but my kids got ill a lot when they were younger in Oz.Having said that though my grandkids get ill a fair bit too here in the UK so maybe its an age thing?Parents would rock up at school,with their child,announce said child had vomited earlier that morning but "insisted"on coming to school so brought them?Grrr Used to make my blood boil tbh.I started taking my eldest daughter when aged 2 to a playgroup but seriously,every 2nd child there was ill with something,and it just wasn't worth going in the end. As an adult,I was fine in Oz,but then I have spent the last 15 yrs in the UK and also been fine too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyman Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 never get a summer or winter cold in Oz ..........in the UK we were just waiting to get infections ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Yes, when our daughter was under 5 she went to nursery and caught colds regularly. At least 10 a year and I reckon I got all my colds then from her and built up some immunity as a result cos hardly get one these days. I do suffer some rheumatism in some joints - old sporting injuries and I know that living in Queensland will be good for them as I have no issues in the summer here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 No. I get sick the same amount, which is just about never. People I work with however always seem to have colds. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Nope, sick more often in Aus but, then, I was less fit and considerably more overweight which probably has something to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I get sick about the same frequency, but colds/flu seem to hit me far harder and last longer here in Aus. I don't know if it is a consequence of getting older (we moved here six years ago), being a bit more unfit than I was (have had fractures to my back and my foot since I have been here, and still have trouble with my foot, so I don't walk as much as I did), or whether it is due to exposure to viruses that I haven't been exposed to before. The kids and I had a really bad year last year, I was sick constantly from about March through to about August, every time I started to get better another cold would come. The kids were the same, there was about a month during that period where I had one, other or both of the kids home from school most days. The kids friends were the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Never really had colds in the UK. Since coming here, get them annually and also had flu for the first time in my life in Oz. I actually spent a great deal more time outdoors in UK (in all weathers) so was more active and of course much younger but not sure why colds and flu so ferocious here. I do find the winters pretty cold in QLD which seems daft! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelensvaleHoward Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I suffered a lot more in the UK with my arthritus because of the cold I've only had 1 maybe 2 colds since being here but didn't get that many colds in UK neither Pretty difficult to say which is better I guess both the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) It's that time of year here in Northern Europe. Colds, coughs, aches and pains. I'm thoroughly fed up of feeling sick here in the winter. Does anyone find living in Oz cuts the instances you catch colds and nasties? No, because we now know that it's not the cold which causes the common cold. There was a Common Cold Institute in the UK for years. It tried to make people catch colds by making them stand in the snow, go walking with their hair wet, even handling cold sufferers' handkerchiefs, and nothing worked reliably. What did work was making people move suddenly from a hot environment to a cold one, or vice versa. In Europe, we get colds in winter because our houses and shops are often over-heated, then we go out in the cold weather. In Australia, our houses are often over-cooled and then we go out in the hot weather. Both have the same result - a cold. Also, moulds and bacteria thrive in warm temperatures so there are just as many "nasties" here - and far more allergies. Edited January 11, 2015 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I rarely get sick here now but when we first arrived on the 1st July I had one cold after another about 4 in quick succession. Different bugs I suppose and no immunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 No, because we now know that it's not the cold which causes the common cold. There was a Common Cold Institute in the UK for years. It tried to make people catch colds by making them stand in the snow, go walking with their hair wet, even handling cold sufferers' handkerchiefs, and nothing worked reliably. What did work was making people move suddenly from a hot environment to a cold one, or vice versa. In Europe, we get colds in winter because our houses and shops are often over-heated, then we go out in the cold weather. In Australia, our houses are often over-cooled and then we go out in the hot weather. Both have the same result - a cold. Also, moulds and bacteria thrive in warm temperatures so there are just as many "nasties" here - and far more allergies. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287661.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 No, because we now know that it's not the cold which causes the common cold. There was a Common Cold Institute in the UK for years. It tried to make people catch colds by making them stand in the snow, go walking with their hair wet, even handling cold sufferers' handkerchiefs, and nothing worked reliably. What did work was making people move suddenly from a hot environment to a cold one, or vice versa. In Europe, we get colds in winter because our houses and shops are often over-heated, then we go out in the cold weather. In Australia, our houses are often over-cooled and then we go out in the hot weather. Both have the same result - a cold. Also, moulds and bacteria thrive in warm temperatures so there are just as many "nasties" here - and far more allergies. Forgot to mention above, I redeveloped the asthma that I had as a kid (caused by mould spores it seems now), and the hayfever that I had as a kid also resurfaced, although OH's hayfever has gone. The asthma only seems to affect me in the winter and when I have a cold/flu, and the hayfever for only a short time of about 3 weeks in the late spring/early summer, so both are manageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I get more colds than in the UK, but I put that down to flying a lot. I do find my asthma is worse in Oz and when smoke comes in from bushfires / prescribed burns then I can seriously suffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I can't see any good reason why a person would be more prone to picking up upper respiratory tract infections in different locations (I did read the article posted, but that is only one study so it's hard to know what the overall evidence picture is without doing a more thorough review of other sources, and I just don't have the time for that!). Other conditions may be affected by climate and environmental conditions. For me, I'd say there has been no difference - I didn't often get colds etc in Britain, and I haven't here. Young children tend to get way more colds and other infectious diseases than adults because they haven't been on the planet long enough to be exposed to them and develop immunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I would say that the thinking is that that you are less "shut in" in Australia because it's warmer. However that theory doesn't really hold up as people are often, especially in offices, shut in with the air-con on. A lot of people I know actually got a lot MORE colds and viruses in the first year or so - as someone else said maybe different germs? We actually didn't - hardly any illness in the first year. However the second year seemed to get every bug going! Definitely a lot of sickness bugs go around the school in the winter. Also both my kids have had croup since living here (mildly and just once) but neither had it in the UK. The only colds I have had in the last 18 months were during the 3 months I was a gym member - got 4 colds and none for the other 15 months. Does make me wonder about the air quality when you are shut in somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy1982 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I find being stuck inside under aircon causes its own problems and a sharp frost kills off all sorts of bugs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booma Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 i havent noticed a difference in how often i get sick but i seem to get better faster in oz. i think its because i can sit in the sun & soak up its amazing healing properties even in winter. i used to feel down in the colder months as well but that doesnt happen anymore. my other half is ozzie & his health is much better now he is back in oz but probably because he is much more active here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlesarah Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 a sharp frost kills off all sorts of bugs! I'm not sure that the data really supports that assertion - given that the 'flu tends to peak in the Winter months (i.e. when the weather is at its coldest), I would guess that isn't necessarily the case. Also, a good number of bacteria can survive temperatures that are found in a domestic deep freezer (i.e. around -18C). Unless you're talking about the insect sort of 'bugs' (because lots of those don't do so well in colder weather). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy1982 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 It was a comment our doctor here made when we arrived from the UK. Both our kids went to the docs 2-3 times each in the space of about 2 months and she said "they will pick up more bugs here and there isnt a good frost to kill them off, instead they fester and drag on in the heat" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Yep, I've seen some bad Drs here too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I hardly ever get coughs and colds in Aus. I went back to the UK last November and My Sister, nieces, kids all had colds. I managed to hold off for a few days and then got it pretty bad. Worse than most of the locals as I'm probably not used to the strain of cold/flu any more, Came back with it and promptly passed it on to my missus. A friends wife has just returned from a Christmas holiday in the UK and she was sick just about the whole time she was there and still has a pretty bad cough and chest now. I guess it's just the weather and dampness TBH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northernbird Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 We were always sick in the UK with colds and here we have very few. However when we do get sick we get REALLY sick. The last time the kids got colds/flu they were off for a week each. I have had perhaps 5 colds in 10 years, would have probably had that amount in a year back in the UK. Not every year but at least 3 colds a year per family member. Not sure why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Agatha Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I didn't have a single cold or illness for the first eight years I lived in Australia. Then our oldest started at daycare and I've had everything going since and then some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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