Cold Weather and Health

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 258, 29 July 1939, Page 3 (Supplement)

Cold Weather and Health

The Winter Months are Dangerous

"RECORDS of sickness and deaths show that the winter months are by far the most dangerous. This is not due to the cold directly, but to the fact that we are crowded together so much in closed rooms where infectious diseases have a good opportunity to spread. Reasonable precautions ca do a great deal towards preventing colds, influenza and pneumonia at this time of the year.

CJ.ET young children into the open. Exercise in cold weather is exhilarating, and promotes a healthy reaction. Wool is the best type of clothing, as it prevents too rapid evaporation of perspiration, and thus avoids the danger of chilling. Keep their feet dry. Have your children join other groups for outside sports in parks

or other play areas or open spaces. Public streets are often dangerous for play. Get them back into the bouse for a complete change of clothing before they become too tired or cold. Give them hot milk or hot cocoa when they come in at this tme of the year. Cod liver oil should be given them daily. If a child has a cold it is safest to keep him in bed 1 for a few days until the acute stage is past. As far as possible keep children with any suspicious illness, however, slight, away from others until they have fully recovered. The Health Committee of the League of Nations recommends that “immunisation against diphtheria should be carried out no later than during the pre-school period, after the end of the first year of life.. If the children have not been immunized during the pre-school period they should be immunized', if possible, during the first year of school attendance. In any* case, all children should be protected against diphtheria by being immunized.

The Old People.

The slowing down of the body's lunetions makes physical activity dangerous, and prevents quick adjustments to changes of temperature. The old people, therefore, cannot get the benefits of exercise in the cold open air. A uniform indoor temperature sufficient for comfort is best. Fresh air should be provided, day and night, but draughts must be avoided. A rundown condition, due to age or sickness, makes easy going for the germs of influenza or pneumonia. Physical activity should be encouraged sufficient to keep the body functioning normally, but not so much as to produce laboured breathing or fatigue. A healthy mental life is of value to youth and age. The winter should be the time of ample rest and simple food in strict moderation.— (Contributed by the Department of Health).