Key Takeaways
- Certain types of viruses thrive more in warm weather compared to cooler temperatures.
- These “summer colds” tend to spread through close contact and touching surfaces that have the virus on them.
- Stay home, rest your body, drink water, and wash your hands frequently to avoid spreading the cold to others.
Close your eyes and picture this: You have a runny nose, cough, and congestion. The tissues are piling up around you, and it seems like the sniffles just won’t end.
What time of year do you imagine this is happening? Most of us would think late fall or winter. But these symptoms still bring us to our primary care provider’s offices and urgent care rooms in June, July, and August.
Karolina Micalos, NP, is a nurse practitioner at our Rochester Regional Health Urgent Care in Webster and explains why we are dealing with these illnesses in the summer.
Summer viruses vs. winter viruses
Certain types of viruses thrive in cooler temperatures, while others can withstand warmer temperatures.
Rhinoviruses, a family of hundreds of different viruses, tend to last longer during the fall and winter months. This is usually the “common cold” so many people deal with during this time of year. Symptoms tend to include:
- sneezing
- scratchy throat
- runny nose
“Because these viruses thrive in cooler temperatures, they don’t go as far down into your body, so they mainly cause respiratory issues,” Micalos said.
As the weather warms up, people are less likely to get sick from rhinoviruses and instead become sick from enteroviruses. These viruses come on quickly and usually show symptoms like:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Sore throat
- Headaches
- Muscle aches
- Respiratory issues
- Nausea/vomiting
Cold-like symptoms like sneezing and a stuffy/runny nose can also develop, but enteroviruses can spread to other areas of the body like the GI tract.
How summer colds spread
The viruses that can cause summer colds often spread through close contact, which makes young children – and their parents and caregivers – more likely to get sick.
Viral particles from these types of illnesses can spread when you shake hands or share drinks with someone who is sick, or touch objects that were touched by someone who is sick.
If a child is in a daycare setting or you are caring for a young child, you are both at a higher risk of getting a summer cold or virus.
Avoiding colds and other illnesses
Micalos strongly encourages trying to follow the same health hygiene guidelines as most other viruses:
- Wash your hands with soap & water
- Cover your sneezes and coughs
- Stay home from work or group activities
- Drink plenty of water
- Get plenty of rest
“Disinfect surfaces like countertops, doorknobs, and other frequently touched places where the virus may stick around,” Micalos said.
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