Are all colds contagious?

Everyone should have noticed that if someone around you has a cold, then our chances of catching a cold will greatly increase, especially for those with weaker constitutions, who are more likely to catch a cold. Due to this phenomenon, people generally believe that colds are contagious, and the weaker a person's physical condition is, the more likely they are to catch a cold from people around them. But are colds really contagious?

The broad definition of cold includes fever, cold, wind and cold, bacterial infection, mycoplasma infection, influenza virus infection and other diseases. The narrow definition of cold does not include influenza, which is what people call the common cold.

There are two kinds of colds. One is called influenza, also known as "flu"; the other is the common cold, commonly known as "cold". Although both types of colds are respiratory diseases, they have the following differences and require differentiation of symptoms and prevention.

1. The sources of infection are different. Influenza is caused by influenza viruses. The common cold is caused by rhinovirus, in addition to parainfluenza virus, coronavirus, adenovirus, etc., which can also stimulate the upper respiratory tract due to bad gases, allowing parasitic bacteria to take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos and cause chronic inflammation. Traditional Chinese medicine divides the common cold into three types: wind-cold, wind-heat and summer-dampness.

2. The routes and scope of transmission are different. In addition to both types of colds being transmitted through air droplets, the medical community has believed in recent years that influenza can also be transmitted through hand contact. In terms of the scope of transmission, the common cold is mostly sporadic. Influenza, on the other hand, develops rapidly, spreads widely, and can become a pandemic across regions.

3. The symptoms are different. Both colds and influenza have varying degrees of systemic poisoning symptoms and upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. The systemic symptoms of common colds, such as fever, chills, body aches and headaches, are often mild, while symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, such as nasal congestion, runny nose and dry throat, are more prominent. Symptoms of influenza such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and sore throat are relatively mild, while systemic symptoms such as chills, high fever, body pain, and headache are more severe, and are often complicated by pneumonia, viral myocarditis, etc.

4. The treatment methods are different. Viruses and bacteria are two different pathogenic microorganisms. Antibiotics and other anti-inflammatory drugs are completely ineffective in treating influenza, so it is appropriate to use traditional Chinese medicine for treatment, which mainly focuses on eliminating plague, detoxification and sweating, such as Yinqiao Jiedu Pills, Sangju Cold Tablets, Isatis Root Granules, etc.; for the common cold, the main treatment is to clear the interior and relieve the exterior. For mild cases, ginger and brown sugar soup can be used, and for severe cases, quick-acting cold capsules, Tongxuan Lifei Pills, Fangfeng Tongsheng Pills, etc. can be used. If there is a concurrent bacterial infection, antibiotics can be used for treatment. At the same time, you should pay attention to rest, drink more boiled water, and increase nutrition appropriately.

5. Immunity and prognosis are different. The common cold can usually be cured in about a week, but the immunity acquired is short-lived. This is because there are hundreds of viruses that can cause colds, and there are many types that can cross-infect but not cross-immunize. Therefore, some people often catch a cold multiple times in a short period of time. After contracting influenza, immunity generally lasts for 8 to 12 months. However, the influenza A virus is prone to mutation and can cause a small epidemic every 3 to 4 years. When a new type of virus mutates, it can cause a pandemic every 10 to 15 years. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the prevention of influenza.