Reducing the Risk of Spreading Colds
Reducing the Risk of Catching a Cold Limit contact with known cold sufferers, especially during the first three days of their illness.
Practice preventive measures which keep cold virus from entering the nose:
- Wash hands after contact with cold sufferers and objects and surfaces they may have contaminated.
- Keep fingers out of the eyes and nose.
- Avoid having cold sufferers cough and sneeze on you or in your direction.
Hand Washing Hand washing removes cold viruses from the skin of the hand and fingers.
Cold virus is removed by the mechanical action of washing. Ordinary soaps and detergents do not inactivate cold virus but help in its removal from the hand.
Hand washing is especially important after contact with a cold sufferer or with objects or surfaces which may be contaminated.
Hand washing is particularly important after contact with young children with colds.
Germicidal hand lotions do not reliably kill rhinovirus, the most important cold virus.
