10 Tips to escape the common cold
Here are our strategies to avoid the common cold, especially when everyone around us seems to have a scratchy throat and runny nose.
The haze is only one of the causes behind the first unidentified virus season many of us have already had the immense pleasure of getting.
WE CATCH AN AVERAGE OF TWO TO FIVE COLDS PER YEAR
If the cold is very contagious compared to other infectious diseases, some factors are not in our favour. For example, we know that there are over 100 different germs that cause the symptoms that are usually associated with a cold (itchy throat, runny nose, fatigue, etc). We can ‘catch’ it when one is in close contact with a sick person and inhalants in the air contaminated with droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. But the microbe can also survive several hours outside the body (on a doorknob, desk, sink, and more). It then enters the body via the hands, when one rubs the nose or eyes. From there, it attacks and multiplies in our nose. See the above slides for good habits to adopt to avoid being ill this year.
Sources: Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Centre
Maureen Diament and Nur Syazana H.
