Tag: high temperatures

Flu Virus Flourishes in Cold

Researchers have known for a long time that cold weather brings the flu season. But they
haven’t known exactly why. Now, they think they know why cold weather affects how
flu is spread. Mark Brush has more:

Transcript

Researchers have known for a long time that cold weather brings the flu season. But they
haven’t known exactly why. Now, they think they know why cold weather affects how
flu is spread. Mark Brush has more:


The researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine found that once the flu virus is
airborne, it hangs around longer in cold air and low humidity. The virus doesn’t survive
as well in higher temperatures and higher humidity.


They tested guinea pigs infected with the flu virus – and found that the animals are more
contagious when they’re in a colder environment. They believe that’s because their bodies
don’t get rid of the virus as fast in cold temperatures.


Peter Palese is one of the authors of the report published in the Public Library of Science:


“So that makes sense when your grandmother told you ‘don’t go out when it’s cold, and
stay warm and you might get the flu,’ she was probably right.”


Palese says other research doesn’t support the use of vitamins to prevent the flu. He says
the best way to keep from getting it is to get a flu shot.


For the Environment Report, I’m Mark Brush.

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Overloaded Power Grids

Parts of the Midwest have reached record high temperatures on some days
this summer. That means more people are cranking their air
conditioners to full blast. Rebecca Williams reports the electric
industry says more needs to be done to handle increasing energy
demands:

Transcript

Parts of the Midwest have reached record high temperatures on some days
this summer. That means more people are cranking their air
conditioners to full blast. Rebecca Williams reports the electric
industry says more needs to be done to handle increasing energy
demands:


Hot summer days test the limits of our electric system.


Ed Legge is a spokesperson for the Edison Electric Institute, a power
company industry group. He says transmission systems in three parts of
the country are overburdened: the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and
southern California.


“They’re very congested, they’re very similar to a highway system
that’s got way more traffic on it than it was designed to have on it.”


A massive blackout four years ago left about 50 million people in the
dark.


Legge says to avoid future blackouts, new transmission lines and more
power generating capacity are needed.


More than 150 new coal-burning power plants are proposed around the
country, but the power companies and some environmentalists say we
could avoid building some of those plants if we cut our energy use.


For the Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.

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