How are colds formed

asks Claudio:
A. A cold is a viral disease that is very contagious. You catch one when it infects the soft lining (mucous membrane) of the nose, making it run. There are around 200 cold viruses in circulation.

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Q. Are they ever serious
A. As a rule, they're fairly mild, but the symptoms are a bit irritating - sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, blocked nose, cough, headache, temperature.

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It takes about a week to get over a cold.

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Q. Do you only catch them in winter
A. Colds are very common in winter. This is mainly because we tend to stay indoors in overheated rooms which dry out the nostrils. And we're more likely to be in crowded places with people who have the viruses and colds will spread more easily indoors.

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�However, you can still catch a cold in summer - people who live in hot countries get colds, too.

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Usually, we catch two to four colds a year.

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Q. How long are you contagious for
A. From the day before your symptoms start until a couple of days after you have recovered.

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Colds are most easily spread through airborne droplets after someone has coughed or sneezed. Another common way to pick one up is to touch a door handle after someone contagious has touched it, and then put your hand close to your eyes or nose.

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Q. Should you ever take antibiotics for a cold
A. No. A cold is caused by a virus and antibiotics won't help. The only time you may need them is if the cold leads to other infections.

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The life of a cold

• Day one - The virus penetrates your defence mechanisms - including the mucus in your nose. It then attaches itself to the 'host' cells in your nose and throat.
• Days 2 & 3 - The virus takes over the host cells to reproduces more virus cells. As the dead host cells pile up, your body produces a watery fluid to wash them out of your nose.
• Days 4&5 - Before they died off, your host cells released chemicals which attracted your infection-fighting white blood cells. Infected cells also release a chemical called bradykinin which is responsible for most of the symptoms of the common cold, such as a blocked nose and sore throat.
• Days 6-7 - Your cold should be over and now you'll have an immune response to it, which will prevent you ever being infected by that particular cold virus again.

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By Sheena Miller