isle11

Last time when I transited in the airport where my connection is after 5 hours, I found a quiet gate and stretched my legs. I found it too cold, and then I was sick the next day. Is it just me falsely connecting the dots ? I will be doing the same transit for 5 hours in Jan, but with my family, kid is 2 years old. Im considering to take the Aerotel, nevertheless wanted to know others opinion on the temperature control in transit zone.

irishguy28

It's always advisable to have an extra layer or two available to put on when travelling, as you will be subjected to quite large variations in temperature.

isle11

I was travelling into Minsk, obviously I was in layers, and had a blanket too from the previous flight. Despite that, IMHO it was way too much to handle..

ajeleonard

To get sick you would have needed to be exposed to a virus (e.g. Rhinovirus for the common cold). You don't get sick just from being cold.

SeeBuyFly

Correct. These viruses are more prevalent in winter than in summer, which gives the false impression that feeling cold is what causes viral illness. In fact viruses don't care about whether you are warm due to central heating (or because of sweater/scarf/blanket/etc.); the relevant factor is whether it is winter.

Also, of course, there is more risk at an airport because there are so many people passing through. One can't do anything about airborne infection, but a lot of infection is transmitted via touching because your hands touch your mouth/nose/etc and also things like escalator railings and elevator buttons etc etc that other people touch. Hand washing and disinfection are effective ways of protecting yourself; a blanket is not.

PS I have never found AUH to be particularly cold. I suggest that the OP was cold because he/she was already sick, not sick because he was cold.

erik123

Just take a shower in any of the lounges. They are like saunas.

Dogmatick

Also in the last few months the airport, and most public spaces in the UAE, seem to have become warmer. I think a major cost saving is being made from not needing to cool down to 18Celcius any more.

Drives me nuts as I wear glasses and they fog every time I step outside plus my sinuses are ready to explode after two days of 18 then 45 degrees variation twenty times a day.

It is a flipping desert, everyone expects it to be warm, let it be a little warm !

johan rebel

Except for rhinoviruses. Recent research shows that they have evolved to thrive at lower temperatures than other viruses. They love cold noses.

Johan

KLouis

Since this turned into a medical post, let me add one more thought. Even if OP got infected at AUH, the incubation time should have been longer than the few hours reported. Thus, the statement "I was sick the next day" makes no sense. This actually sounds as if the infection happened before arriving to AUH and "feeling cold" was, indeed, one of its first symptoms.

isle11

I now myself not sure whether I had the infection before coming into AUH.

Anyway, let me put it this way.

I think the prolonged exposure to dry cold air can make the mucous membrane of your throat, nasal cavity dry which inturn may reduce your immunity.

May be the humidity is bit low, usually you see lot of waterfronts, plants in airports to get some moisture in air, AUH may need more of this.

Dogmatick

Please always read the label

irishguy28

If you were that cold with all your layers AND a blanket, then you were clearly ill before you arrived at the airport!

MacMyDay

We've obviously never met before. I have the hotel temperature room always set to 26C as I find anything less than that cold. A real bugger that I was born and live in England, as you can imagine. The only time I've ever been traveling and found it too hot was when I was sweating like a dyslexic at a spelling bee, due to severe turbulence. So in conclusion: yes, everywhere is too cold.

KLouis

Here's a list of places you could choose for your vacation next year (guaranteed to be hot based on my own experience).

Chennai, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Denpassar, North Chile (sea level), Manaus and, finally, Heraklion in May, during one of those heay waves.

Anywhere else I've been to, unfortunately (or fortunately) was not that hot.

KLouis

I think you should leave immunology (and pathophysiology) to the immunologists (and pathophysiologists).

You got infected with one of those annoying upper respiratory tract viruses (no idea which one). Where you got it is unknown, most probably not at AUH (from your description). What you describe as a pathophysiological process makes no sense, a dry throat and/or nasal cavity do/does not reduce immunity.

You find the temperature at AUH too low! This may well be true: how one feels a given temperature is a matter of preference, and the set point at AHU may be below the temperature that you'd consider to be OK.

These would be two independent facts. When the pavement is wet outside it may have rained but it could also be that the city cleaned the streets.