Well, here is something that we have all had at some time. May we present the Giant Microbes Common Cold Rhinovirus.
This little pesky virus has caused all of us no end of hours upon hours of suffering, wrapped up warm with a cup of Lemsip along with a runny nose, headache, aching bones and so on. Well, this is the cause in all its glory. And not only that, there is no known cure. This bad boy is here to stay and has been right since the dawn of time.
It laughs in the face of our Paracetamol !!!!
Billions of people a year catch the cold. Now you can get one too! Learn all about the Common Cold with this cuddly companion.
FACTS: There are over 250 different kinds of cold viruses! But rhinovirus is by far the most common. (Rhino means "nose" in Greek – think rhinoceros.)
With over 100 different varieties, rhinoviruses are responsible for almost 35 percent of colds.
Rhinovirus is particularly active during the fall and winter months. Why? Because rhinovirus loves the low humidity. Also, when the humidity is low, your nose dries out and is more susceptible to infection.
But, despite what many think, studies show that one thing that doesn't cause a cold is cold!
The best thing you can do to lower your chances of catching a cold is to wash your hands a lot. Rhinovirus can survive three hours outside someone's nose.
If it gets on your fingers and you rub your nose, you've caught it!
What can you do if you get a cold? Not much. Antihistamines and decongestants can help relieve the symptoms of a cold. But antibiotics only work against bacteria and not against viruses.
So get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids – and play with your GIANTmicrobes!