Charmaine Gauci, director of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate, shares some advice on how to limit the spread of colds and flu.

Many people have experienced a common cold. It is that feeling of having a dripping nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough or even some fever. This is normal around this time of year with over 200 viruses circulating around us.

Rhinoviruses account for approximately 30-50 per cent of adult colds. Other viruses, such as coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus also cause the common cold syndrome.

Frequent handwashing is recommended for children and adults alike.

Common cold infections are so widespread that there can be very few people who escape infection each year and most will suffer multiple infections. It has been estimated that adults suffer two to five colds per year, and schoolchildren may suffer seven to 10 colds per year. Fortunately, symptoms do not last very long and complications are not very common.

Close personal contact is necessary for the virus to spread and the home and school are the places where spread most often occurs. The common cold viruses are not spread by contact such as kissing but appear to be spread by large particles expelled at close range by coughs and sneezes, and by contaminated fingers that pass the virus to the nose and eye.

Very few people escape infection each year and most will suffer multiple infections

There is no vaccine which can protect from these common cold viruses but there are various steps one can take to prevent further spread and help protect people from getting sick. You have no guarantee that once you already had a cold this season, you won’t get another one.

Some preventive measures to prevent spread and protect yourself include:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. Thorough and frequent hand washing is an effective way to prevent many common infections.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. These are the most common places for germs to get in our bodies and spread. Germs spread this way.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Keep your distance from people displaying symptoms like sneezing and coughing. While that strategy may seem obvious, it applies to more than just strangers and colleagues but also applies to sick friends and family. So stay away as much as you can.

• Practise good health habits. Get plenty of sleep and exercise, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat healthy food. Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables supports your immune system.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or sneeze into a tissue and throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If you don’t have time to take out a tissue, cough or sneeze into the inner crook of your elbow to avoid contaminating your hands. Since the inside of the elbow rarely touches other surfaces, the likelihood of spreading the virus is greatly reduced.

• Countertops, desks, computer keyboards, phones, doorknobs and cupboard handles are common hotspots for germs. Disinfecting wipes or warm soap and water will typically kill common cold viruses.

• If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay at home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.

• Avoid crowds. Flu spreads easily wherever people congregate such as in childcare centres, schools, office buildings, auditoriums and public transportation. By avoiding crowds during peak flu season, you reduce your chances of infection.

Children are at higher risk of contracting such infections. This is partly because children are exposed to a variety of viruses each day at school. These viruses can be spread through hand-to-hand contact and by touching contaminated surfaces.

Kids often contract these viruses from other children who are carrying the virus or when they come into contact with desks or toys that may carry germs.

Children return home sick after only a few days or weeks at school. Unfortunately, whenever kids are together, there is a chance of spreading infections. This is even more common among infants and toddlers who are likely to use their hands to wipe their noses or rub their eyes and then handle toys or touch other children. These children then touch their noses and rub their eyes so the virus goes from the nose or eyes of one child by way of hands or toys to the next child who then rubs his own eyes or nose.

Children then take these viruses home and spread them to the rest of the family. Teaching kids prevention measures does help in the prevention of the spread of viruses.

Handwashing practice can be easily done by teaching them to sing Happy Birthday, or another fun song, to judge how long they should spend soaping up.