- Knowledgebase: Cough, Congestion, and Ears
- Questions about the managment of coughs and congestion, as well as ear infections.
- 12. The "Cold" Facts - Top
- The Cold Facts
By Joseph J. Guarente
You know your children catch colds—lots of them. But do you know why? We’ve uncovered some fascinating facts about kids and colds. Here are a few facts about the cold bug that may surprise you.
Believe it or not, cold weather does not cause colds. Rather, they are caused by low humidity, which dries up the nasal passages, and spending more time close together indoors. This seems to be why the cold season hits during fall and winter.
Colds are the most common contagious virus in the world. There’s no way to avoid them as long as you come into regular contact with others. There are more than 62 million cases of the common cold in the United States alone every year.
Every time we catch a cold our bodies develop antibodies to it. Adults, on the whole, have become immune to more than 200 existing cold viruses. The cold virus is strongest two to four days after catching it. This is when symptoms such as stuffy nose, scratchy throat, fever, congestion, aches and pains hit. Symptoms can last up to 14 days.
Children get 6 to 10 colds a year, while adults only average 2 to 4. Kids under the ages of 4 or 5 suffer 75% of all colds. Many colds originate in school and daycare and since so many germs are shared in these places, children are usually the first in the household to get a cold.
Children miss 22 million days of school each year due to colds, while adults take approximately 45 million sick days every year as a result of colds.
Want to know the best ways to cutoff the cold bug? Here are some tips that might do the trick.
Don’t Share Don’t share cups so you don’t let germs hang around and spread themselves. In addition, you should use paper cups whenever you or your child has a cold. Germs can hang around on drinking glasses. By tossing paper cups out after each use you can prevent the spread of such germs.
Use Tissues This may seem obvious, but teach your child to use tissues whenever sneezing or blowing his nose. This will prevent infection from spreading through the air.
Wash Hands Often Soap and water are the best way to stop the flow of cold and flu viruses. Show your child how to wash his hands thoroughly and have him do so often throughout the day, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.
Avoid Your Eyes And Nose Most cold and flu viruses are spread by hand contact. By touching a surface that has been touched by an infected person the virus can enter your system through the mucous membranes in your eyes or nose.
- Updated: March 8, 2001
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