Common Cold

 The common cold is a viral infection of your nose and throat. It is usually harmless, although it might not feel that way, but it is harmless. Children younger than 6 yrs are at the  greatest risk for catching this, but young healthy adults may also have two or three colds annually. Most people recover from this within a week or 10 days.

     Symptoms usually appear after 1 to 3 days of exposure to the virus, and these may vary from person to person including the following:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Congestion
• Body aches
• Head ache
• Sneezing
• Fever
• Malaise

A common practice is the use of antibiotics for this particular disease, self medication is always harmful, as this is a viral disease, antibiotics have no affect and they may worsen the fever.

 If the fever is greater than 103.5 F then you may have a need to consult your doctor.

 Although a vast majority of viruses can cause this but the most common culprits among them is the rhinovirus. It enters the body through mouth, eyes, or nose. It may be spread by a hand to hand contact.
 It may have several complications including an Ear infection or sinusitis or it may even cause bronchitis in children.

 There is no vaccine, but precautionary measures  can help prevent the spread of this  disease.
Washing your hands, using disinfectants, and using tissues always help to prevent the spread of it.