Winter is here, which means a barrage of pathogens is patiently waiting to make our lives miserable. Influenza, colds, and the "stomach bug" are the top three nasties likely to get you, but can you prevent this by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based disinfectant? Or maybe neither?
common cold
The common cold is a miserable experience, but there may be a silver lining to developing one: Certain kinds may help prevent severe COVID infections.
All told, there are probably a couple of hundred different causes of the common cold. Amazon's attempt to create a common cold vaccine is, therefore, a foolish waste of money. Instead, the asset-rich company should spend it on antiviral research.
The flu may be almost over, but another pesky season is just around the corner: allergy season. It affects up to 60 million people in the U.S. each year, and it's easy to mistake for the common cold. How can you tell them apart?
“I was sick with the flu” is a refrain heard each winter. But many who say it are actually mistaken. The flu is caused by an influenza virus, which is confirmed by specific testing. So if you weren't specifically tested for it and deemed positive, then it's possible you didn't have it.
A colder temperature slows down a viral-infected cell's ability to commit suicide.
The last time we discussed enterovirus about a month ago, it was confined to the Midwest. Now, federal official have confirmed 538 cases in 43 states, although this number is likely a gross underestimate, since most such