• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Science / Is there any way to stop from getting a cold?

Is there any way to stop from getting a cold?

April 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

There are no guarantees, but there are some ways to cut your risks.

The most important are avoiding crowds, especially during the peak cold seasons of September, late January, and April; avoiding people who obviously have colds; avoiding shaking hands with people who might have them; avoiding rubbing the nose and eyes; and washing your hands, washing your hands, washing your hands.

These precautions may help because of the way colds are often spread: not just through infected droplets in the air but through particles carried by hand to eye and nose membranes.

The greatest share of colds are caused by rhinoviruses (about a third) and coronaviruses (about 10 percent). Rhinoviruses seem to spread best in droplets from a runny nose, though they may also be sprayed by coughs and sneezes.

Once virus particles land on a surface or someone’s hands, they may remain active for several hours. Then the virus can go from hand to face to eye and nose membranes.

Someone with a cold can be contagious even before signs of illness appear and for a couple of days after it is obvious, so one cannot entirely prevent colds by avoiding people with symptoms, but it helps.

Other useful measures are eating a balanced diet, which is associated with a lower susceptibility, and staying away from children, who get five to eight cold infections a year. Those younger than 2 have the most.

Related Facts

  • Where do Colds come from and What causes the Common Cold?
  • How do you minimize the risk of catching a Cold and Which home remedies for Colds work?
  • Where do Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses come from and How do they make us sick?
  • How does washing your hands help prevent the spread of germs and disease?
  • Why Are You More Likely To Catch a Cold In Winter Indoors, or When It’s Cold Out, and Why Do You Catch a Chill?
  • How effective are antibacterial products like soaps, hand cleaners and bleach?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What do doctors mean when they talk about gram-negative bacteria?
Next Post: Are face masks to keep from getting a cold or other infection or is it to keep from spreading one? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy