The Common Cold The common cold is a group of symptoms in
the upper respiratory tract caused by almost 200 viruses.
The most common perpetrator is the rhinovirus, which causes around 40% of colds
The cold enters your body through your nose or mouth and is easily spread when touching
someone of common objects..
You are more likely to catch a cold if you are excessively fatigued, have emotional distress
or have allergies with nose and throat symptoms.
As you listen to this, five percent of you are waging the war against the common cold.
Up to a billion colds a year occur in the US alone, causing about 60 million lost days
of school and 50 million lost days of work.
This adds up to $25 billion in lost productivity Contrary to popular belief, Being in cold
weather does not cause the common cold.
Yearly, Americans spend around $5 billion on over the counter cold remedies.
A single cold virus can have 16 million offspring within 24 hours.
The velocity of a sneeze is about as fast as a professional baseball pitcher can throw
a fast ball- about 100 miles per hour) Over-the-counter medications can provide temporary
relief of symptoms and should be used as soon as you feel a cold coming on
There are no antiviral medications available for treating the common cold.
A cold may last for about one week, but some colds last longer, especially in children,
elderly people, and those in poor health