Cold is one of the most common and frequently occurring diseases especially in children. It is a great excuse for anybody for absenteeism from the job. Children suffer from common cold around 8-12 times in a year, while an adult generally develop cold 2-3 times in a year. The reason is the less developed immunity of children compared to adults.

Cold is a contagious disease which is caused by cold virus. The cold virus generally travels through tiny air droplets. When a person suffering from cold sneezes, coughs or blow his know, he release cold virus in the air that travels through the air and may affect the nearby person. The virus can also affect you if you come in contact with a contaminated surface and then touch your mouth, eyes or nose. These contaminated surfaces include any object of suffering person, door bell, door handle, computer mouse, and keyboard. When you exposed to the cold virus, it doesn’t mean that you will develop cold for sure; instead it is your immunity towards that cold virus which decide whether you catch cold or not.

Simple Hygiene to Prevent Cold:

Even if you have not good immunity power, you can avoid many instances of catching cold by following good hygiene. Here are some simple preventive measures to avoid cold:

• Wash your hand very often if you are working along with a cold infected person. Washing your hand also include washing your nails properly as around 80-90% of germs reside in your nails. Dip your finger nails in a soapy solution and use a brush to scrub your nails.

• Whenever you sneeze or cough, you should put a tissue paper or handkerchief over your mouth and nose to avoid spread of cold virus all over the nearby space. Dispose the tissue after the use. If you have not tissue paper at that time, you can use your sleeves to cover your mouth and nose.
• If you are prone to developing cold frequently, you should take proper precaution while using public lavatory. Wash your hands properly before coming out from the toilet. Use a tissue paper for opening the door or using the lavatory flush.
• Avoid touching your face with your hands as it welcomes cold virus to infect you. Habits like nail biting, nose picking, face scratching, touching your eyes are some vulnerable steps that may cause you to catch cold.