One of my colleagues said, “I love movies, as long as they are about viruses.” He wasn’t joking either; his name is Paul Spence, an expert virologist. He did say that the problem with movies about viruses is that they mostly get everything wrong. He does enjoy poking the holes in the stories though!
I guess we all have our quirks, but quirks aside, none of us are immune to viral infections and ‘tis the season for them. My daughter brought a lovely cold virus to visit last week—she is a second-year student who has just finished partying at “O-week,” which has weakened her immune system and introduced her to viruses from all over the country—yay!
Most common cold viruses are relatively harmless, and symptoms last a week to 10 days. Up to 50% of common colds are caused by rhinoviruses—more than 100 different rhinoviruses. Other viruses, such as coronaviruses and adenoviruses, can also cause colds. Overall, more than 200 different viruses can cause a cold, and many types may be circulating at any one time.
You can be contagious a day or two before you show symptoms, but you are most infectious when your symptoms are at their worst — usually the first three days you feel sick.
There is no vaccine for the common cold because so many different viruses mutate rapidly. When infected, the best thing to do is to rest and keep your fluids up (and take Zestt Breathe+ lozenges or liquids to help you get better faster). Maintaining good hygiene is also important to reduce your chances of getting another infection. One of the most significant issues with getting a common cold is that it can leave you more vulnerable to a secondary infection, so it is important to look after yourself to avoid this.
Antibiotics don’t help treat the common cold virus - but how do you know if your common cold has turned into a secondary, maybe bacterial, infection which could be treated with antibiotics? Look out for these signs:
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Symptoms last longer than 10 to 14 days;
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Symptoms continue to get worse rather than improve over several days;
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You have a higher fever than normally observed with a cold.
All the best for a healthy winter ahead and may you blissfully avoid the common cold viruses (and anything else) circulating!