Before partaking in my nightly ritual of patronizing the bars of Court Street this past Thursday, I decided to add an additional layer of clothing, a heavier coat and a scarf instead of my normal t-shirt and fleece combination. The cold weather usually turns me off to the bars, but it was a long week, so a night out with friends was a great idea.
While my friends and I were smart about our apparel choices, several of our fellow bar-goers seemed to believe there was a heat index outside rather than a wind chill. Not only did I see guys dressed in just jeans and t-shirts, I saw girls barelegged in dresses and skirts and even a couple of girls wearing tank tops and halters. Not only were they dressed as if it were Spring Quarter, these people seemed to have forgotten to bring their coats along with them.
After the meningitis scare last week and hearing nearly every person in my classes express their fear of contracting the bacterial infection, I became quite the germaphobe. I researched what exactly could cause bacterial meningitis and found that it stems from the bacteria that cause strep throat, pneumonia and upper respiratory infections - a.k.a. the sicknesses that plague this university over Winter Quarter.
While most believe it is a myth that cold weather causes colds and sickness, a study conducted by Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales, found that colds and sicknesses could stem from a lack of warmth. Being exposed to cold weather without adequate covering causes blood vessels in the nose to constrict - notice when you're outside in the cold for a while and your nose runs. The shrinkage of blood vessels takes the warmth out of the blood and can trigger dormant common cold cells living in the white blood cells. This causes a person to start showing signs of the common cold and allows this sickness to be passed on to others.
Throughout this winter, I have somehow managed to get sick three separate times. However, I am usually a stickler about wearing adequate clothing for the temperature. Otherwise, I complain like it's nobody's business. I take vitamins daily and drink a pretty hefty amount of water. So why do I keep getting sick?
Perhaps the fact that most students at Ohio University live within one mile of one another has something to do with it. Maybe the fact that we all use the same beer pong cups, beer pong balls and water cups weekend after weekend contributes to the problem. Or perhaps it's because we all use the same desks, tables, chairs, doors, bathrooms, computers and dining utensils without proper sanitation mechanisms.
Here are my recommendations: Dress for the weather. Wear a jacket if it's cold and keep as much heat in your body as possible. Drink water. Wash your hands. Oh, and cover your mouth when you cough in class. Seriously.
Kadi McDonald is a senior magazine journalism major and germaphobe. Shoot her a sanitized e-mail at km134305@ohiou.edu.
4 Opinion
Kadi McDonald
