Factors that Cause Common Cold

Many infections, diseases and ailments today arise due to drastic changes in our lifestyle. Common cold is one such ailment; it affects everyone right from a baby to elderly people. It spreads quite quickly and we can see a substantial number of children getting affected by it. Read below to find out the factors that make common cold widespread and some general precautionary steps that can be taken to prevent the spreading of common cold.

Seasonal Change

Generally during cold weather, children and adults end up getting affected by common cold. Both adults and children are more likely to stay indoors during the winter season and by this they end up being in close quarters with each other, and if one of them is down with the infection, there is a high chance of the infection to spread. Cold virus spreads during the rainy season too and causes havoc. These infections thrive in dry conditions and lead to throat irritation and stuffy nose.

Age

The worst affected by common cold are usually infants and young children. Young kids are more prone to this type of infections because, they have immune systems that haven’t developed completely and thereby the body puts up very little resistance. The other element here is proximity; children are very likely to come into contact with other children who might be affected by cold, in schools. Children can be quite playful and they might not realize the importance of washing their hands, which can also cause the transfer of germs.

Smoking

The immune system takes a hit, when you smoke or inhale second hand smoke. By the weakening of the immune system the risk factor of the occurrence of cold increases. Either when you smoke or you end up being a passive smoker, you inhale toxic elements, which not only harm your body, but also cause irritation and worsen your throat and end up in severe cold.

Stress and Allergic Reactions

Catching a cold can possibly increase, when your stress levels increase. There are cases where many people get common cold because they might have some allergies and that will increase the possibility of catching the cold virus.

As far as common cold is concerned, there is no particular vaccine that can prevent the infection from spreading. We can only take some precautions like washing our hands and impressing upon children how important it is to wash their hands thoroughly and also disinfect stuff, which might have been used by someone when they were affected by common cold. Instead of teaching children how to cover their mouths or noses while they cough or sneeze with their hands, it is better to teach them how to do so, by using tissues. Above all maintain a good physical health which can be attained by proper diets and keeping oneself active; this will keep most diseases at bay.