Chest related diseases are the diseases of organs that are in our chest (rib cage) such as the lungs, heart and food pipe (oesophagus). In this article, we will focus on lungs diseases such as the common cold.
Common cold just like other lungs and windpipe diseases like pneumonia, bronchitis and flu is highly contagious and spreads through coughing, sneezing and contacts.
Also, they all have similar symptoms such as a sore throat, a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, headaches, and body aches. .
How does a cold spread?
Viruses that cause colds can spread from infected people to others through the air and close personal contact. You can also get infected through contact with stool (poop) or respiratory secretions from an infected person.
This can happen when you shake hands with someone who has a cold, or touches a surface, like a doorknob, that has respiratory viruses on it, and then touch your eyes, mouth, or nose.
How Can You Protect Your Self From Cold?
Prevent Colds With Frequent Hand Washing And Personal Hygiene
Your best protection from the common cold and flu is frequent hand washing. Wash your hands often with soap and water.
The simple friction that occurs when you rub skin against skin while using water and soap followed by thorough rinsing and drying can get rid of most potentially harmful germs.
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Viruses that cause colds can live on your hands, and regular hand washing can help protect you from getting sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, because viruses that cause colds can enter your body this way and make you sick.
Stay away from people who are sick. Sick people can spread viruses that cause the common cold through close contact with others.
Taking multivitamins such as vitamin C and B-complex can reduce the risk of cold and other infection by boosting your immunity. The vitamins make your body police (white blood cells) work at the highest level, which will make them attack every virus that enters your body before they can cause any harm.
How to Protect Others When You Have Cold
If you have a cold, you should follow these tips to help prevent spreading it to other people:
- Avoid crowded places. If possible stay at home while you are sick.
- Avoid close contact with others, such as hugging, kissing, or shaking hands
- Move away from people before coughing or sneezing
- A cough and sneeze into a tissue then throw it away, or a cough and sneeze into your upper shirt sleeve, completely covering your mouth and nose
- Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and objects such as toys and doorknobs at your home.
How Do You Treat A Cold?
There is no cure for a cold. To feel better, you should get lots of bed rest and drink plenty of fluids.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines may help ease symptoms but will not make your cold go away any faster. Talk to your doctor before taking any OTC medicines.
Antibiotics will not help you recover from a cold caused by a respiratory virus.
When to See a Doctor
You should call your doctor if you or your child has one or more of these conditions with cold:
- Symptoms that last more than 10 days
- Symptoms that are severe or unusual
- If your child is younger than 3 months of age and has a fever.
- People at high risk for flu complications include young children (younger than 5 years old), adults 65 years and older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease. These people must consult a doctor for their flu
Your doctor can determine if you or your child has a cold or the flu and can recommend therapy to help with symptoms.
