Understanding the problem

There are three routes by which someone can catch a cold:

• Touching a person who has infected droplets on their skin, for example, holding their hand, and then touching their own face
• Touching an object or surface contaminated by infected droplets, for instance, a tissue or worktop that has been sneezed over by an infectious individual, and then touching their own face
• Inhaling droplets of fluid that contain the virus as a result of someone who is infected sneezing or coughing nearby.

Cold germs can remain infectious on hands for around 20 minutes and surfaces for 24 hours. This explains how colds spread, particularly among people in close contact, for example children in a school or work colleagues who share a small office.

It’s important to know of simple steps that can help reduce the risk of spreading colds. These include:

• Frequently washing hands thoroughly with warm water and soap
• Not sharing household items such as cups
• Avoiding touching the face
• Using tissues when sneezing or coughing and putting them in the bin as quickly as possible.