The common cold is a self-limited viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that causes symptoms like cough, sore throat, runny nose, and sneezing. It is transmitted through direct contact or inhaling airborne viruses. While usually mild, the common cold can lead to serious complications like pneumonia, acute bronchitis, or even surgery in rare cases. Frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, vaccines, rest, fluids, and vitamin C can help prevent the spread of the common cold.

1. Common cold is just
not so common and
should be prevented.

2. What is a common cold and
what causes it?
Self limited contagious illness
Viral upper respiratory tract infection
Symptoms :
cough, sore throat, nasal congestion,
runny nose, & sneezing.

3. How is the common cold
transmitted?
Direct contact
Inhaling the airborne virus

4. If common cold is prevented..
May cause some serious complications:
Change in alertness, Chest pain, Deep and wet
chest cough, unresponsiveness, pneumonia, and
acute bronchitis.
May even lead to surgery

5. Become like the famous disease, SARS.
Most common cause of absenteeism

6. Easy and not so expensive ways to
prevent it.
Cover your mouth as soon as you sneeze.
Get vaccines to prevent it
Frequent hand washing is also extremely
important.

7. Allow rest, drink plenty of fluids.
Avoid sharing utensils.
Take lots of vitamin C

8. Serious complications will occur.
Acute bacterial sinusitis may have developed.
-Causes are:
Pneumococcus,
Hemophilus influenza, and
Moraxella

9. ACTION:
Be responsible, try to be vaccinated. Take
lots of vitamin C, lots of water and
regular physical activity. Avoid smoking
as it does nothing to your lungs against
the disease. Clean your body properly.

10. Sources:
Doerr, Steven. How do you prevent the common
cold? January 18, 2011. March 17, 2012<http://
www.medicinenet.com/common_cold/page4.ht
m#prevent>.
McDonough, Brian. Common Cold. January 8,
2012. March 17, 2012
<http://www.localhealth.com/article/common-
cold>.
Voice And Speech. March 17, 2012
<http://www.oldandsold.com/articles35/commo
n-cold-17.shtml>.