Bronchitis or other lung related Illness after diving

[AndyNZ]

Another possible consideration is cold... if your husband isn't keeping himself warm enough on a dive then potentially it may have some impact on his immune system and his ability to resist infection from another source.

Personally, I think this tends to be influence by general stress as well - it's a bit like why you always get a cold when you go on vacation.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Personally, I think this tends to be influence by general stress as well - it's a bit like why you always get a cold when you go on vacation.

@AndyNZ: Stress (in the form of lack of sleep, fatigue, psychological duress, etc.) may play a role in depressing the host immune system. However, the primary reason that travelers get sick is because they are simply getting exposed to a greater number and variety of microbes -- you know, the ones living on/inside one's fellow travelers and on any surfaces with which the traveler might come into contact. It's surprising how long some "germs" can live on certain surfaces and retain infectivity. For example, the CDC estimates that the flu virus can survive on nonporous surfaces and infect a person 2-8 hours after being deposited on the surface. Other viruses and bacteria may survive shorter or longer periods depending on lots of different factors. Think about that the next time you board an airplane or wander through an airport terminal.

 

[AndyNZ]

@AndyNZ: Stress (in the form of lack of sleep, fatigue, psychological duress, etc.) may play a role in depressing the host immune system. However, the primary reason that travelers get sick is because they are simply getting exposed to a greater number and variety of microbes.

I should have worded my post better - a lot of my "vacations" are spent at home, where there are less nasty germs than in my work environment (a University where I teach classes of 200+ students).

Empirically, I get sick at the end of every semester after the stress of having to "keep it together" for 14 weeks straight.

My analogy was probably not the best thought out!