Do you get sick less often in Oz?

[Parley]

As others have said, you catch colds from other people not from cold weather.

 

The common cold is a virus, so you can't catch it out of thin air.

 

If you are catching more colds in one place or the other it will be down to the people you are hanging around.

[Aunt Agatha]

I think maybe it's to do with immunity too - perhaps newly arrived immigrants don't have the same immunity to Australian viruses having not grown up with them? (This was not my experience as I mentioned above). A GP friend told me to expect to catch everything in the UK after being away for so long as the viruses have changed and I haven't been there to keep up with them so to speak.

 

There is some truth in the cold weather theory as the common cold virus thrives better in a cold nose apparently.

[Parley]

Frequent hand washing is probably the best thing you can do to protect yourself.

[Marisawright]

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.

 

Of course, there's also the fact that you've just spent 20-odd hours on an aeroplane, which is the worst possible place when it comes to catching colds and flu (nasal passages all dry out, meaning germs can get a hold). Remember there's an incubation period so you're not going to get the cold till you've been home a few days.

[ramot]

Of course, there's also the fact that you've just spent 20-odd hours on an aeroplane, which is the worst possible place when it comes to catching colds and flu (nasal passages all dry out, meaning germs can get a hold). Remember there's an incubation period so you're not going to get the cold till you've been home a few days.

 

I know people say this, and I have no medical training whatsoever, but I have probably flown more than most and luckily have never ever caught a cold or cough when I have flown:

a) as a stewardess for years

b) flying long haul from Brunei to UK/ Germany etc at least 6 times a year for almost 10 years, and for the last 12 years 1 or 2 long haul flights a year.

guess I am just lucky, but my husband who has flown all his working life has been as lucky, and before any one says he sits up front, trust me has spent plenty of time in the cabin, wouldn't like to even count the hours over a 40 year career.

So it could be coincidence, bad luck, you were incubating a bug any way, or more susceptible as there is a lot of stress if you don't fly often, sitting next to someone ill, all possibilities if you get a cold/cough from flying.

[roger2shirts]

Man flu and sunburn get me here! I think I have a healthier lifestyle and have lost a lot of weight. The food even in the supermarkets is no way near as altered / chemical additives, clean air and good food. Less stress, warm and clean air - I think you would be healthier here. You have time to take part in sports and keeping fit. You'd love it here.

[Addy]

We get far fewer bugs here in Australia than we did in the UK. However our daughter was 9 when we came and perhaps had just built up enough immunity to stop bringing the viruses home to us!

[Esmerelda]

I was always sick in the UK whether it was winter or summer. Sick of the cold, sick of the rain, sick of the snow, ice and slush, sick of the fog, sick of wearing jumpers in the middle of summer, sick of being sick all the time.

 

Since moving to Oz I am heaps better. :laugh:

[dmjg]

We haven't seen much of a difference in sickness.

 

But have seen a huge improvement in the eczema of both the oh and our little boy.

 

Both have gone from daily steroid cream use to occasional use. (Once a month if we're lucky)

[Parley]

We haven't seen much of a difference in sickness.

 

But have seen a huge improvement in the eczema of both the oh and our little boy.

 

Both have gone from daily steroid cream use to occasional use. (Once a month if we're lucky)

 

What about asthma ?

I think that can be worse here, and eczema, asthma and hayfever tend to be linked.

[Marisawright]

We haven't seen much of a difference in sickness.

 

But have seen a huge improvement in the eczema of both the oh and our little boy.

 

Both have gone from daily steroid cream use to occasional use. (Once a month if we're lucky)

 

Eczema and asthma are such unpredictable things. My oh sees a huge improvement in his eczema every time we go back to the UK/Europe for a holiday, it's one of the reasons we're moving back. And my asthma is far worse in Oz than in the UK too.

[Bound4Tassie]

Been thinking about this one. If it was purely down to the temperature then surely everyone's experience would be the same? Maybe there are other factors here worth considering. I don't know everybody's circumstances but it seems that many of those heading back to Uk as things haven't worked out - well they seem to suffer more illness in Oz. But those who seem to have quite happy lives in Oz feel they got more colds etc back in the UK. Could there be an argument that if someone's unhappy with life in Oz , maybe work or life causes them to feel more stressed/ depressed - this in turn reduces your immune response. Those whose quality of life improved with the move down under are happier / more positive/ less stressed and thus healthier. Just a theory!

[dmjg]

What about asthma ?

I think that can be worse here, and eczema, asthma and hayfever tend to be linked.

 

Eczema and asthma are such unpredictable things. My oh sees a huge improvement in his eczema every time we go back to the UK/Europe for a holiday, it's one of the reasons we're moving back. And my asthma is far worse in Oz than in the UK too.

 

The ohs asthma is about the same.

[Paul1Perth]

What about asthma ?

I think that can be worse here, and eczema, asthma and hayfever tend to be linked.

 

I'm an Asthma sufferer and it's been better here. When I was back in the UK last year I used to wake up wheezing and have to take my medication. My nieces get pretty bad Eczma and Asthma and were both better when they were on holiday here. Their eczema in particular improved no-end when they were here for a month. I think it was going in the Ocean and the sun that helped.

 

Having said that the worst asthma attack I ever had was in Townsville. I hadn't taken my medication with me as I'd not been taking it for months. I was only there about a week but was consistently going from cold airconditioned buildings, into a really hot car, then into the next building. While we were in the car we would have the aircon on blasting into your face. It was very humid too.

 

I was getting a little bit worse every day and on the last night I was up half the night coughing. On the plane trip home I felt dreadful, I was really struggling to breath properly, the guy at the side of me asked if I was OK a few times, must have looked rough. Went to the docs the next day and ended up having a week off work.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Paul1Perth

[Marisawright]

I'm an Asthma sufferer and it's been better here. When I was back in the UK last year I used to wake up wheezing and have to take my medication. My nieces get pretty bad Eczma and Asthma and were both better when they were on holiday here. Their eczema in particular improved no-end when they were here for a month. I think it was going in the Ocean and the sun that helped.

 

Having said that the worst asthma attack I ever had was in Townsville. I hadn't taken my medication with me as I'd not been taking it for months. I was only there about a week but was consistently going from cold airconditioned buildings, into a really hot car, then into the next building. While we were in the car we would have the aircon on blasting into your face. It was very humid too.

 

 

 

You have to remember that Australia is a huge place and although it's hot everywhere, there's a huge variation in other factors across the country. The East Coast is universally acknowledged to be asthma Hell, IF you have allergic asthma. The combination of warmth and humidity mean it's heaven for dust mites and moulds, both of which are a problem for allergic asthmatics. In Townsville, mould in the air conditioning is a huge problem, which you then breathe in.

 

My grandfather was also much better in Perth WA than he ever was back in Scotland. Whereas I'm far worse in Oz than in the UK, but I'm in humid Sydney.

[starlight7]

Funny this topic should come up here because my daughter and family have just returned from a trip to the UK where they all caught colds and felt grot half the time. They said it was the poor hygiene there- coughing and sneezing and gobbing all over the place! They said they never want to go back, ever! When I lived there I used to get bronchitis every winter- rarely get it here.

[tea4too]

Funny this topic should come up here because my daughter and family have just returned from a trip to the UK where they all caught colds and felt grot half the time. They said it was the poor hygiene there- coughing and sneezing and gobbing all over the place! They said they never want to go back, ever! When I lived there I used to get bronchitis every winter- rarely get it here.

 

:shocked:...... I understand all UK political parties are considering making it illegal to use anything other than disposable tissues, and all public places will be required to provide sealed receptacles “special nose overflow tubs” or “S.N.O.Ts” for the disposal of used items. Relevant signs will direct the public to the nearest S.N.O.T. and anyone over 5 years of age (minimum school age, therefore an assumed level of literacy means minors are accountable for their own actions) will be required to use tissues, with sleeves expressly forbidden. The responsible adult will be required to locate and use the appropriate S.N.O.T. on behalf of any minor in their charge.

 

Spittoons have been trialled in various locations, and feedback is interesting but has led to some misunderstandings including accusations of “people gobbing everywhere”.

 

The media are divided on the issue, but the broadsheets generally welcome the initiative as a move in the right direction, while the tabloids have focused on a particular family with 23 children and their need to be supplied with 1000 packets of tissues per year, at taxpayer expense.

 

On the plus side it may just be a localised issue, as the more recent polls seem to suggest that most people are not aware of an inherent lack of hygiene, and state intervention might not therefore be necessary :policeman: T x

[starlight7]

Guess they'll be disposable orright- on the footpath with all the other junk.

[beach pig]

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?

Yeah I am sick , sick of the constant heat like you are with the cold we can't win eh. Anyhow it's more of a mental sick than physical . But to answer your question we have never had a cough or cold In 7 years but quite a few gastro episodes.

[Guest littlesarah]

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"

 

Regardless of the qualifications and occupation of the person making that statement, the data just doesn't support it, and the empirical evidence shows that many microbes survive freezing.

 

I'm not saying that the 'cold nose' theory is incorrect - that has nothing to do with the survival or perishing of microbes in cold conditions.

[speakeasy]

I imagine it depends where you live in each place...? Big cities, public transport and the like can expose you to the season's bugs wherever you are. If your general health is poor perhaps (say during a prolonged winter), then you will be more vulnerable to transmitting these bugs. I would say the same flu strains circulate the globe each year (through airtravel and such) and that you could be exposed to the same infections here or there? If your health fares better in a certain climate though then perhaps a bug can knock you more whether you are in the dry climate of SA, or the humid warmth of Brisbane or wet and damp of northern England? There are warm climate bugs and cold climate bugs.. microbes can survive in either extreme.

Personally It's nice to dry out occasionally!

Edited January 21, 2015 by speakeasy

[Guest]

:shocked:...... I understand all UK political parties are considering making it illegal to use anything other than disposable tissues, and all public places will be required to provide sealed receptacles “special nose overflow tubs” or “S.N.O.Ts” for the disposal of used items. Relevant signs will direct the public to the nearest S.N.O.T. and anyone over 5 years of age (minimum school age, therefore an assumed level of literacy means minors are accountable for their own actions) will be required to use tissues, with sleeves expressly forbidden. The responsible adult will be required to locate and use the appropriate S.N.O.T. on behalf of any minor in their charge.

 

 

 

Spittoons have been trialled in various locations, and feedback is interesting but has led to some misunderstandings including accusations of “people gobbing everywhere”.

 

The media are divided on the issue, but the broadsheets generally welcome the initiative as a move in the right direction, while the tabloids have focused on a particular family with 23 children and their need to be supplied with 1000 packets of tissues per year, at taxpayer expense.

 

On the plus side it may just be a localised issue, as the more recent polls seem to suggest that most people are not aware of an inherent lack of hygiene, and state intervention might not therefore be necessary :policeman: T x

 

 

:biglaugh: Post of the week!

[Quinkla]

I have had just as many colds here as in Scotland - perhaps more so. But I lived alone in Scotland and drove to work; here I live with schoolage children and get public transport to work.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I don't think we get as many colds over here. I probably get one a year which is good for me although every time I'm in hospital they reckon I have flu, I don't think I have either that or I'm so use to feeling crappy.

[Parley]

I never get sick.