Unless you’re trying to stay home from school, catching a cold stinks. But how do you catch one? Let’s refer to the children’s book, How to Catch a Cold by Adam Newman to find out: You don’t catch a cold with a net, tape, or a flypaper cape. A baseball mitt won’t work either, and you won’t catch it hiding in a tree. It all comes down to germs.
The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system. That’s your nose and throat. Symptoms vary, but not by much. Runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, congestion, fatigue are all soldiers of the common cold. And via some of these symptoms is how you, and others, catch a cold: germs.
Each time a cold sufferer sneezes or coughs in the air, germs spread. Each time he touches his nose, rubs his eyes or covers his mouth with his hand to cough or sneeze, sick germs transfer to the hand. If the hand touches an object, those germs transfer to the object and sit and wait. . . for you! That’s why #1 on this list is the most important way to prevent yourself from catching a cold.