冬季如何遠離感冒？
Tips on how to keep that cold at bay
How to keep that cold at bay?
It's winter and as you have probably noticed, germs are everywhere — runny noses, sore throats, nothing quite like the common cold to make you feel miserable.
But experts believe that there is no link between cold weather and catching colds. So why are we particularly vulnerable this season?
Internal Medicine expert, Dr Meenakshi Jain of Max Hospital says, "One reason could be because people are likely to stay indoors, so the virus can spread easily. Also the virus thrives in humidity."
The common cold is a viral infection that can be caused by any of up to 250 strains of virus, the most common group of which are the rhinoviruses that hit the nose.
They are responsible for anywhere between a third and half of all common colds.
"They are transmitted through the nose and respiratory passages, by touch, and by contact with airborne particles that are created by sneezing or coughing," says Dr Jain.
There is no cure for the common cold and antibiotics are of no help. However, there are some precautions which can help:
Wash your hands regularly, so that germs get killed.
Don't touch your eyes, nose and mouth, which can limit your chances of infection.
Don't share drinking glasses or utensils with anyone as this will prevent the spread of the virus.
Drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Make sure to eat enough fruits to boost your immune system.
Get enough sleep and you'll certainly become stronger.
你可能已經注意到：冬季一到，病菌無孔不入、無處不在——流鼻涕、嗓子疼……沒有什麼比普通感冒更讓人難受。
但專家們認爲，寒冷的天氣並不是導致感冒的原因。那爲什麼冬季我們更容易生病呢？
麥克斯醫院的內科專家米納克什•傑恩博士說：“其中一個原因可能是，冬季人們多在室內活動，因此病菌容易滋生和蔓延。而且病菌在潮溼的環境中繁殖較快。”
普通感冒是一種病毒感染性疾病，可由250種病毒引起，其中最常見的是鼻病毒。
三分之一至一半的普通感冒都由鼻病毒引起。
傑恩博士說：“鼻病毒主要通過觸摸以及打噴嚏或咳嗽產生的空氣飛沫傳播，經由鼻腔和呼吸道進入體內。”
普通感冒沒有治癒的方法，抗菌藥物也沒什麼效果。而以下一些措施則能起到預防感冒的作用：
勤洗手，殺死細菌。
勿摸眼睛、鼻子和嘴巴，降低被感染機率。
勿與別人共用水杯或餐具，以防病毒蔓延。
多補充水份，防止脫水。
多吃水果，增強身體免疫力。
保證充足的睡眠，增強體質。
runny nose:流鼻涕
respiratory passage:呼吸道
