Cold - Preventing a common cold
- Introduction
- Symptoms of a common cold
- Treating a common cold
- Complications of a common cold
- Common cold in children
- Preventing a common cold
- Diagnosis
- Causes
- Prevention
As there are so many different viruses that can cause the common cold, a vaccination against the condition hasn't been developed yet.
However, if you have a cold, there are things you can do to help prevent it from spreading.
You should:
- wash your hands regularly and properly, particularly after touching your nose or mouth and before handling food
- always sneeze and cough into tissues as this will help to prevent the virus-containing droplets from your nose and mouth entering the air where they can infect others; throw away used tissues immediately and wash your hands
- clean surfaces regularly to keep them free of germs
- use your own cup, plates, cutlery and kitchen utensils
- use disposable paper towels to dry your hands and face, rather than shared towels. As with tissues, always dispose of the paper towels after you have finished using them
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