Question

Common cold is an /a ……………disease. (infectious, non-infectious)

Answer 1

The common cold is an acute, usually afebrile, self-limited viral infection causing upper respiratory symptoms, such as rhinorrhea, cough, and sore throat. It is the most common symptom in many diseases like throat infection, COVID-19, lung diseases, sinus problems, and etc.

Complete answer: The common cold is infectious. Infection can start from a few days before your symptoms appear and present until all of the symptoms are gone. Many people can spread the infection for nearly 2 weeks. During the first 2 to 3 days the symptoms are worse, and this kind of situation occurs when the virus is spreading. Air acts as a vector in which it is spread by air droplets from coughs and sneezes and by touching infected surfaces. Hand Washing helps prevent its spread. So, the common cold is infectious to others.
The common cold-causing viruses are more than 200 different types. Around 50 percent of colds are caused by rhinoviruses, other cold-causing viruses include viruses like human parainfluenza virus, Human metapneumovirus, coronaviruses adenovirus, human respiratory syncytial virus, enteroviruses. Adults get 2–3 colds of different viruses per year, and children may have up to 12 different types of colds per year. People with lung conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are more vulnerable or sensitive to colds than other people.

Note: The most common symptoms of a cold are dry throat, cough, hoarse voice, sore throat, mild fever, sneezing, blocked nose, and mild headache to name a few. Some of the rare symptoms of the common cold include muscle aches, Shivering, pink eyes, weakness, loss of appetite, and extreme exhaustion.