Nobody likes to get sick, particularly around wintertime. The cold weather exacerbates respiratory symptoms, making recovery far less pleasant than it could be. At least during warmer months, a sick person can enjoy the warmth of the sun while they're recovering, but the colder days at the end of the year make recovery a positively miserable experience. It's also no surprise that so many people catch colds during this time of year. Children are still in school, parents and families are out shopping and interacting with one another in the rush to get last minute holiday gifts or visitations out of the way, and the chances of transmission from person to person go up, up, and up.



Fortunately, a reasonable degree of prevention can spare many people the frustration of going through a cold or flu during the winter. While they aren't foolproof, there are many steps that people can take to protect themselves and their families from falling ill.

The Flu versus A Cold

Both influenza (the flu) and the common cold are respiratory illnesses; both are caused by viruses that irritate the lungs and lead to symptoms like coughing, congestion and aches. However, they are caused by entirely different viruses, differ in intensity and symptoms, and are even transmitted by different means. Understanding the differences is important to treatment if all your prevention fails and someone does get ill.

Colds are largely transmitted through physical contact, rather than airborne transmission such as coughing or sneezing. Most people get colds by touching a contaminated surface, then touching their own eyes, nose, or mouth - such as handling a magazine passed by a friend who has a cold, followed by scratching an itchy eye corner. The flu, however, can be transmitted through airborne means as well as physical contact.

Between the two, influenza tends to be far more severe than a cold. Flu symptoms develop aggressively, sometimes within three to six hours of initial exposure, while a cold tends to develop more gradually. Both illnesses cause respiratory symptoms, but they differ in the details. A cold will generally result in a wet cough producing a lot of mucus, whereas the flu frequently results in a dry, unproductive hacking. Colds tend to have associated affects such a congestion and sneezing, whereas the flu does not. The flu more frequently results in a fever and strong body aches. The flu is significantly more dangerous, and should be watched carefully.

An Ounce of Prevention

There are steps that can be taken to prevent transmission of cold and flu germs, which in combination greatly reduce the chances of catching one of these diseases. Since as yet there is no cure for either ailment, preventative care is the best option available.

First, people should wash their hands regularly. As mentioned, cold and flu viruses spread through physical contact. Keeping your hands clean with soap and warm to hot water helps the most in preventing this casual contact. If these are not available, an alcohol-based sanitizer is an acceptable alternative, though the scrubbing and warm water are generally more effective.

People should avoid touching their nose and their eyes with their hands. Germs aggressively latch onto bare skin, and many infections come from inadvertently touching the soft tissues of the nose or eyes. In addition, people shouldn't cover their mouth with a bare hand when they cough or sneeze. If at all possible, they should sneeze into a tissue, and discard the tissue immediately afterward.

Drinking plenty of fluids is also important. The human body uses liquids to filter out the body's accumulated wastes, resulting in a healthier system overall. A healthy body with proper fluid intake is less likely to contract a cold or flu than one working less efficiently from having too few servings of water.

Vitamin C is also important to the immune system, so juices with this vitamin can double up on fluid and vitamin intake in most cases, though people shouldn't neglect plain water as well.

In particular, the flu can sometimes be prevented through a vaccination, commonly known as a flu shot. This involves exposing people to a weakened or dead form of the flu virus, allowing their body to develop immunity to it before the flu season begins. The vaccine is widely available, but is most recommended for the category of patient who is considered to be at most risk for serious flu complications: generally young children, people aged sixty-five or older, and those with preexisting chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or other heart and lung conditions. For a healthy young adult, the flu shot may not be as necessary, so they may wish to consider allowing the more needy to get to them.

The current H1N1, or swine flu, is a different variety of our seasonal flu and a different vaccine is available for this virus. However, it is affecting different groups of people, mostly children, young adults, and pregnant women. The same preventative steps can be taken for both the H1N1 virus and the regular seasonal influenza. If you're thinking about getting a flu shot, you should check with your doctor to determine if you need the regular vaccination, the H1N1 vaccination or both.

As a final note, people need to take the time to relax and avoid unnecessary stress. While stressors can be invigorating stimuli, too much unresolved and unproductive stress can wear the body out very quickly, reducing efficiency and increasing the risk of infections. People should make an effort to reduce the stress on their bodies by eating healthy foods, taking care of their fitness and hygiene, and taking the time to get proper amounts of sleep and relaxation each day.

While colds and the flu are contagious, and can cause problems, a little bit of information and care can help prevent the infection and let people enjoy a healthy winter season.