Dear jerryl-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question.
What we know as a ?common cold? can actually be caused by a number of
different things, namely by rhinovirus, coronavirus, parainfluenza
virus, or respiratory syncytial virus. Since rhinovirus is the most
frequently diagnosed cause, I will address that disease first as a
general example:
Rhinovirus, the chief virus that causes ?the common cold?, is
infectious for the first two to four days. Direct contact with a
person who has the rhinovirus in this period can result in the
transmission of the virus, but contact with the person following the
incubation period can still prove infectious if they have traces of
it, from it?s incubation stage, on their person. For example, if I
have a cold and you come to visit me on the fifth day of my disease
and I am still blowing my nose on a handkerchief I used two days ago,
you can become infected if particles from that cloth end up on your
body and eventually in your system. The infectious virus can live for
several days on a person?s hands, or on things they have soiled with
their nasal secretions, saliva or sputum so, clearly, proper cleansing
of the patient, his clothing and exposed surfaces can reduce the
infectious period remarkably.
Like rhinovirus, coronavirus has an incubation period that is much the
same during which it is contagious ? two to five days.
CORONAVIRUS
http://lassesen.com/sars/corona.htm
Parainfluenza virus, which is more often responsible for conditions
like bronchitis and other similar respiratory diseases that can mimic
the common cold to some degree, has a longer incubation period lasting
from one to seven days.
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/hpivfeat.htm
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, which is more often responsible for
pneumonia and other similar respiratory diseases, is normally cleared
up in patients in 8-15 days. That is to say that the diseases is
theoretically transmittable during the two week illness, becoming less
likely to infect someone else closer toward the end of the infection
of it?s host. Generally speaking about ten days from the time of
infection of the host.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS INFECTION
http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/diseases/CD/RSV.htm
I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
THE COMMON COLD
http://www.vhihealthe.com/hfiles/hf-025.jsp#2
UNDERSTANDING HOW THE COMMON COLD WORKS
http://www.commoncold.org/undrstn3.htm
WHAT CAUSES COLD SYMPTOMS
http://www.commoncold.org/undrstn4.htm
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET - INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/msds-ftss/msds126e.html
E-MEDICINE: RHINOVIRUS INFECTION
http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic2707.htm
CORONAVIRUS
http://lassesen.com/sars/corona.htm
E-MEDICINE: PARAINFLUENZA
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1733.htm
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL - PARAINFLUENZA
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/hpivfeat.htm
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL - RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/rsvfeat.htm
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
COLD CONTAGIOUS UNTIL, CONTAGIOUS, INFECTIOUS, INCUBATION PERIOD,
COMMON COLD VIRUS, RHINOVIRUS, CORONAVIRUS, PARAINFLUENZA VIRUS,
RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS. |
