Holiday Illnesses to Watch Out For This Winter

The holidays create a "perfect storm" for certain illnesses. Why? A number of reasons:

We are a mobile, global society: We can hop on a plane, train, or in our automobiles and go hundreds or thousand of miles at the drop of a hat.

Many of us leave our homes without considering the health risks, especially when traveling to places where health codes and standards may differ from our home countries.

For example, according to the 2001 BBC article, Travellers 'ignore disease threat', "Out of more than 400 people questioned by a leading vaccine company, a third said they had not sought medical advice before travelling to places where tropical diseases were endemic. It is estimated that 4% of all deaths amongst travellers are caused by infectious diseases."

Socialization: We're very social during the holiday season, which means we come into contact with many more people than we would during a normal day. This means that not only do we exchange hugs and kisses this time of year, we also exchange bacteria and viruses.

Food & Drink: Socializing means eating and drinking - especially this time of year. We are more apt to eat away from home this time of year - whether it's at the house of a loved one, a restaurant, or a hosted social affair.

All of this increases our chance of catching a food-borne illness.

Some specific illnesses to be on the lookout for:

3 Specific Illnesses (Besides the Cold & Flu) to Watch Out for During the Holidays

Hepatitis A: Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus. The reason you may be more prone to it during the holidays because of the manner in which it is transmitted.

Hepatitis A can be transmitted in a number of ways, among them close, personal contact and via food and water. It is easy to mistake Hepatitis A for the flu, because it presents with flu-like symptoms, eg, diarrhea, fever, nausea.

To prevent Hepatitis A, especially during the socialization of the holiday season, "... use your own towels and toothbrushes, eating utensils, and other personal products. Always wash your hands after and before eating and more importantly after using the toilet." [Source, Wikipedia]