The common cold is an infection of your upper respiratory tract, i.e. your nose and throat, that is caused by viruses particularly during the rainy or winter season. A common cold is usually harmless and most people recover in one to two weeks at the most. Since it’s one of the most-common illnesses known to mankind, I’m sure we are all familiar what the symptoms of a common cold are: sore throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing – yes? Many people, however, mix up common colds with influenza (also known as the flu). That’s why today, Face2FaceAfrica will be clarifying what the differences are and letting you in on what you should know about common colds.
SEE ALSO: How To Keep Yourself Malaria-Free
Causes of the Common Cold
There are more than 100 known viruses that can cause a common cold. The rhinovirus is, however, the most-common culprit, and incidentally, it’s also the most contagious.
The virus enters your body through your mouth, eyes, or nose by contact when someone who is infected coughs, sneezes, or talks. The common cold is also spread by hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold, e.g. through handshakes or by contact with contaminated objects and surfaces, such as table tops, utensils, towels, toys, or telephones. If you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth after such contact or exposure, you’re likely to catch a cold.
Symptoms of the Common Cold/Differentiating It from Flu
Symptoms of the common cold usually appear about one to three days after you’ve been infected by a cold-causing virus and last for about a week or two. You can, however, still pass the virus to people while you have these symptoms.
Colds usually begin suddenly with a sore or itchy throat, which then progresses to symptoms such as clear, watery nasal drips (runny nose); sneezing, and malaise (feeling of being generally tired). Gradually, your voice may become hoarse and you may develop a mild cough. Fevers are generally uncommon in adults, but when they happen, they are usually low grade – below 38°C.
Later, the watery secretions from your nose may become thicker and darker as well. If you’re coughing up dark mucus or feeling distress deep down in your lungs, it’s possible you have a bacterial infection that has superimposed itself on the viral cold. In this case, it’s best to speak with your doctor.
Other symptoms include slight body aches and mild headaches.
What makes a common cold different from the flu is that, with the flu, you have more severe symptoms, a higher fever, chills, worse body aches, and fatigue.
If the symptoms of your cold, however, last longer than three weeks, you’re probably dealing with an allergy.
Protecting Yourself Against Common Cold
Your best protection against the common cold is simple: hand washing! When someone who is
infected talks, sneezes, or coughs, contagious droplets are sprayed on to nearby surfaces, including you. When people cough or sneeze in to their hands (without a tissue), they contaminate every surface they touch. You then touch the same surface or shake hands with them and pick up the virus, and when you rub your eyes or nose, you infect yourself.
To protect yourself and prevent the spread of cold:
Simple Home Remedies for the Common Cold
Unfortunately, as with most viral infections that always run their full course, there’s no particular cure for the common cold, but you can make yourself as comfortable as possible using these simple guidelines:
When You Need To See a Doctor for Your Common Cold
Common cold symptoms are not dangerous in themselves unless they occur in newborns and people with already compromised immune systems. This is not to say that sometimes you won’t get symptoms that are particularly nasty. Please seek medical attention, especially if experience the following with your cold symptoms:
After all is said and done, as the old saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” It’s just mid-year, so don’t let a nasty cold slow you down. Now that you know better, stay healthy and achieve those dreams!
SEE ALSO: Alcohol and Your Health: Risks Overshadow Benefits
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