Did you know that Americans suffer about one billion colds each year?

The common cold is most prevalent in the winter and during rainy season—perhaps because that’s when people spend more time indoors, where they are often in close proximity to one another and can easily spread cold germs.

You can become infected with the virus that causes a cold when someone coughs or sneezes on or near you. Touching an object, such as a doorknob, that is contaminated with the cold virus can also make you sick.

If you catch a cold, you’ll most likely feel an overall sense of malaise (see definition below), sneeze a lot and have a runny nose, scratchy throat and perhaps even a fever.

Want to know when you’re most contagious? Or the best ways to treat a cold? Go to the National Institutes of Health website: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000678.htm

Speak your mind: What do you think is the best way to fight the malaise of a cold?

MALAISE: A general feeling of discomfort or illness.