- Winter weather brings higher health risks.
- Snow and ice cause slips and falls.
- Driveways and ground can become frozen.
- Respiratory viruses rise in winter.
- Influenza, COVID-19 and RSV increase.
- Arjun Venkatesh is a professor and chair at Yale School of Medicine.
- He is chief of emergency medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital.
- Four years ago he gave a news interview.
- Two days after the interview he slipped at home.
- It was late at night after a hospital shift.
Difficult words
- respiratory — About breathing and the lungs
- influenza — A virus that makes people very sick
- slipped — To lose balance and fall
- professor — A teacher and leader at a university
- emergency — A sudden medical or dangerous problem
- frozen — Turned to ice because of very cold
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever slipped on ice?
- Do you get sick more in winter?
- Do you walk carefully when the ground is frozen?
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