Preventing the Common Cold

One cannot live a healthy lifestyle and avoid all contact with the common cold. Colds are spread most easily when their symptoms are at their peak; however they can also be spread when the virus is present but no symptoms are experienced. Steps you can take to reduce the risk of spreading your cold to others or getting a cold from others include:

• Washing your hands before touching your eyes, nose or mouth (This simple act is your greatest protection against the spread of the common cold.)
• Keep children who are sick at home (away from school, daycare, public play areas, etc.)
• Stay home from public places when you are sick (i.e. work, stores, church, theatres etc.)
• Clean surfaces such as countertops, stair rails, phones, doorknobs more often when someone in the home has a cold ? Most cold viruses are easily destroyed with soap and water or disinfectants
• Use covers in shopping carts and high chairs in restaurants or wash the surfaces of these items before placing young children in them
• Do not share drink containers, dishes, utensils, clothes such as scarves etc with others.
• Keep humidity levels at a healthy level in the home and workplace if possible.
• Wash your hands after sneezing or coughing.
• Sneeze or cough into a tissue and throw the tissue in the trash after.
• If you do not have a tissue, sneeze or cough into you upper sleeve or elbow, not into your hands.
• When possible avoid close contact with people who have a cold.
• Breast feeding (has been shown to protect infants against some cold viruses i.e.humanparainfluenza viruses responsible for cold and croup)

Is there a vaccine available to prevent the common cold?

There are no vaccines available to prevent the common cold. There are approximately 200 different viruses that can cause cold symptoms. Since vaccines are unlikely to offer much cross protection between the different viruses, it is unlikely there will be a vaccine developed to prevent the common cold. Vaccines that protect against 'the flu' (influenza) do not protect against the common cold.