someone else who is affected.

The cold virus can be transmitted in the

Upper Respiratory Infection (Common Cold) following ways:

The Cold Viruses

The rhinoviruses and the coronaviruses are the most common
causes of a cold. According to the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the rhinoviruses cause about one-third
of all colds (30 to 35 percent), while the most common causes of
adult colds are the coronaviruses. However, the cause of 30 to 50
percent of colds remains unidentified.
Rhinoviruses - There are more than 110 different rhinoviruses that
cause most colds in early fall, spring, and summer. Named after the
Greek word "rhin" for "nose," rhinoviruses thrive in the human nasal
mucosa.
• through the air
If a person with a cold sneezes or coughs, small amounts of
the virus can go into the air. Then, if your child breathes in
that air, the virus will adhere to your child's nasal membrane.
• direct contact
This means that your child directly touched a person that
was infected. A cold is easy for children to spread, because
they touch their nose, mouth, and eyes often and then touch
other people or objects and can spread the virus. It is
important to know that viruses can be spread through
objects, such as toys, that have been previously touched by
someone with a cold.

Coronaviruses - More than 30 different strains of the coronavirus

exist, with three or four types affecting humans. The virus is most What are the symptoms of a common cold?
active in the winter and early spring.
The symptoms of a cold start from one to three days after your child
has been in contact with the cold virus. Usually, the symptoms last
What is an upper respiratory infection (URI)? about one week, but this varies in each child, and may last even up to
two weeks. The following are the most common symptoms of a cold.
An upper respiratory infection (URI), also known as the common cold, However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms
is one of the most common illnesses, leading to more doctor visits and may include:
absences from school and work than any other illness every year. It is
estimated that during a one-year period, people in the US will suffer Infants:
one billion colds. Caused by a virus that inflames the membranes in
the lining of the nose and throat, colds can be the result of more than
200 different viruses. However, among all of the cold viruses, the • unable to sleep
rhinoviruses and the coronaviruses cause the majority of colds.
• fussiness
• congestion in the nose
Facts about an URI or cold:
• sometimes vomiting and diarrhea
• fever
• Most children will develop at least six to ten colds a year.
This number increases for children who attend daycare.
Older children:
• Colds do not happen as much after the age of 6.
• Adolescents get colds about two to four times a year.
• stuffy, runny nose
When is the "cold" season? • scratchy, tickly throat
• watery eyes
Children are most likely to have colds during fall and winter, starting in • sneezing
late August or early September until March or April. The increased • mild hacking cough
incidence of colds during the cold season may be attributed to the fact
that more children are indoors and close to each other. In addition,
• congestion
many cold viruses thrive in low humidity, making the nasal passages • sore throat
drier and more vulnerable to infection. • achy muscles and bones
• headaches
What causes the common cold? • low grade fever
• chills
There are many different types of viruses that cause the common cold.
• watery discharge from the nose that thickens and turns
In fact, over 200 different varieties of viruses can cause the symptoms
yellow or green
of a cold. The most common virus is called the rhinovirus. Other
viruses include the coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, • mild fatigue
enterovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus.
The symptoms of the common cold may resemble other conditions or
After the virus enters your child's body, it causes a reaction - the medical problems. Always consult your child's physician for a
body's immune system begins to react to the foreign virus. This, in diagnosis.
turn, causes:

• an increase in mucus production (a runny nose).

• swelling of the lining of the nose (making it hard to breath
and congestion).
• sneezing (from the irritation in the nose).
• cough (from the increased mucus dripping down the throat).
How did my child catch a cold? In order to catch a cold, your child must
come in contact with one of the viruses that cause a cold, from
How is a cold different from the flu?
A cold and the flu (influenza) are two different illnesses. A cold is
relatively harmless and usually clears up by itself after a period of time,
although sometimes it may lead to a secondary infection, such as an
ear infection. However, the flu can lead to complications, such as
pneumonia and even death. What may seem like a cold, could, in fact,
be the flu. Be aware of these differences:
 • expectations for the course of the disease
• your opinion or preference
Cold Symptoms Flu
Symptoms Treatment may include the following:

Low or no High fever

fever���������� • increased fluid intake
This will help keep the lining of the nose and throat moist
and help to prevent dehydration.
Sometimes a headache Always a • avoidance of secondhand smoke
headache
Keep your child away from passive (secondhand) smoke, as
this will increase the irritation in the nose and throat.
Stuffy, runny nose Clear nose
or stuffy
nose To help relieve the congestion and obstruction in the nose for younger
children, consider the following:
Sneezing Sometime
s sneezing
• Saline nose drops may be used.
Mild, hacking cough Cough, • Use a bulb syringe to help remove the mucus.
often
becoming • Place a cool mist humidifier in the room.
severe • Analgesics, such as acetaminophen, are sometimes helpful
in decreasing the discomfort of colds. Consult your child's
Slight aches and pains Often physician before giving any medication to your child.
severe
aches and
pains There are other medications for congestion, cough, or runny noses.
Discuss your options with your child's physician.
Mild fatigue Several
weeks of
fatigue

Sore throat Sometime
s a sore
throat
Normal energy level Extreme
exhaustion
Who is at greater risk for catching the common cold? Children suffer
more colds each year than adults, due to their immature immune
systems and to the close physical contact with other children at school
or daycare. In fact, the average child will have between six to eight
colds a year, while the average adult will get two to four colds a year.
However, the average number of colds for children and adults will vary.
How is the common cold diagnosed? Most common colds are
diagnosed based on reported symptoms. However, cold symptoms
may be similar to certain bacterial infections, allergies, and other
medical conditions. Always consult your child's physician for a
diagnosis.
Vitamin C and the common cold:
Aspirin and the risk of Reye syndrome in children:
Do not give aspirin to a child without first contacting the child's
physician. Aspirin, when given as treatment for children, has been
associated with Reye syndrome, a potentially serious or deadly
disorder in children. Therefore, pediatricians and other healthcare
providers recommend that aspirin (or any medication that contains
aspirin) not be used to treat any viral illnesses in children.
Can I prevent my child from getting colds? Taking proper preventive
measures can reduce the risk of your child developing a cold.
Preventive measures may include the following:
• Keep your child away from a person with a cold.
• Encourage your child to wash his/her hands frequently and
not to touch his/her mouth, eyes, or nose until their hands
are washed.
• Make sure toys and play areas are properly cleaned,
especially if multiple children are playing together.

Many people believe taking large amounts of vitamin C will either
prevent the common cold or reduce its symptoms. However, to date,
studies have not indicated that high amounts of vitamin C affect the
onset and symptoms of the common cold. In addition, taking large
quantities of vitamin C over a long period of time may, in fact, be
harmful, causing diarrhea and distorting urine and blood test results.
Treatment for the common cold: It is important to remember that there
is no cure for the common cold and that antibiotics will not help treat a
common cold. Medications are used to help relieve the symptoms, but
will not make the cold go away any faster. Therefore, treatment is
based on helping the symptoms and supportive care. Specific
treatment will be determined by your child's physician based on:
• your child's age, overall health, and medical history
• extent of the disease
• your child's tolerance for specific medications, procedures,
or therapies
What are the possible complications from having a cold? The following
are some of the complications that might occur if your child gets a cold:
• ear infections
• sinus infections
• pneumonia
• throat infections
Consult your child's physician for further evaluation. Cold weather and
colds: Contrary to popular belief, cold weather or getting chilled does
not cause a cold, according to the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID). However, more colds do occur during the
cold season (early fall to late winter), which is probably due to a variety
of factors, including the following:
• schools are in session, increasing the risk for exposure to
the virus
 • people stay more indoors and are in closer proximity to each • Coughing is a reflex that works to clear secretions from the
other lungs. Often the discomfort of a severe cough leads a
• low humidity, causing dry nasal passages which are more person to seek medical treatment.
susceptible to cold viruses
• Both adults and children can get bronchitis. Symptoms are
What is pneumonia? similar for both.

Pneumonia is an infection of one or both lungs which is usually caused
by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, one-
third of all people who developed pneumonia subsequently died from
the infection. Currently, over 3 million people develop pneumonia each
year in the United States. Over a half a million of these people are
admitted to a hospital for treatment. Although most of these people
recover, approximately 5% will die from pneumonia. Pneumonia is the
sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
• Infants usually get bronchiolitis, which involves the smaller
airways and causes symptoms similar to asthma.
• Asthmatic bronchitis occurs when asthma and bronchitis
coexist. Asthma is an inflammatory airway condition that
leads to tightening of the muscles around the airways and
swelling, both of which cause the airways to narrow. In
combination with the inflammation of the inner lining of the
airways and mucus production this can lead to severe
wheezing and shortness of breath.

Dermatitis is a general term that describes an inflammation of the skin.

Introduction to Systemic viral infection:
Viruses are infectious agents due to encapsulated nature with
protective proteins coats, cannot survive without their host as they use
host cell's metabolic machinery, multiplication is very fast.
Viruses have either DNA or RNA (so the classification is DNA virus,
RNA virus and retrovirus).
There are different types of dermatitis, including seborrheic dermatitis
and atopic dermatitis (eczema). Although the disorder can have many
causes and occur in many forms, it usually involves swollen, reddened
and itchy skin.
Dermatitis is a common condition that usually isn't life-threatening or
contagious. But, it can make you feel uncomfortable and self-
conscious. A combination of self-care steps and medications can help
you treat dermatitis.

A systemic infection is the one in which many body parts or whole

body gets affected. In general most of the viral infections are systemic
type. Virus enters in body, causes local infection and then via blood
circulation can infect other body parts. Severity of infection depends on
the infecting virus and the person's state of health and immunity.
Some examples of systemic viral infection: Herpes, Influenza,
Measles, Rubella, Chickenpox, Hepatitis, HIV and Mumps etc.
Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction) refers to
undesirable (damaging, discomfort-producing and sometimes fatal)
reactions produced by the normal immune system. Hypersensitivity
reactions require a pre-sensitized (immune) state of the host. The four-
group classification was expounded by P. H. G. Gell and Robin
Coombs in 1963.[1]

Viral infection can be Acute that means infection is for short period of
time and recovery if rapid. Virus enters in host their genes are
translated into protein, and replication of the genome begins. Their
gene products are released in host cells.

Example: Influenza virus infection. Chronic / persistent in which the Coombs and Gell classification
viruses are continually present in the body and recovery is slow. Virus
can remain dormant for many years also. In this type of infection the Comparison of hypersensitivity types
viral genome enters the nucleus and may either become an Alternative Often mentioned
autonomous chromosome, or be integrated into a host chromosome. Type Mediators
names disorders
Only a few viral proteins are made. The dormant virus has to be
reactivated. During reactivation, the viral genome acts as an acute • Atopy
virus. Allergy • Anaphylaxis
I
(immediate) • IgE
Example: Herpes Simplex virus.
• Asthma

Bronchitis Overview
II Cytotoxic, • Autoimmune • IgM or IgG
antibody- hemolytic
dependent anemia
Bronchitis is an acute inflammation of the air passages within the • Thrombocytope
• (Compleme
lungs. It occurs when the trachea (windpipe) and the large and small nt)
nia
bronchi (airways) within the lungs become inflamed because of
infection or irritation from other causes. • Erythroblastosis
fetalis
• Goodpasture's
• The thin mucous lining of these airways can become irritated syndrome
and swollen.
• Graves' disease
*see type V
• The cells that make up this lining may leak fluids in response explanation
to the inflammation. below

• Myasthenia
Gravis *see
 type V
explanation
below
• Serum sickness
• Arthus reaction • IgG
Immune
III complex
disease • Systemic lupus • (Compleme
erythematosus nt)
(SLE)
• Contact
Delayed-type dermatitis
hypersensitivity[
2] [3]
(DTH), cell- • Mantoux test
mediated • Chronic
IV immune transplant • T-cells
memory rejection
response,
antibody-
independent • Multiple
sclerosis [4]
Autoimmune • Grave's disease
• IgM or IgG
disease,
V receptor
mediated (see • Myasthenia
• (Compl
below) Gravis

Roseola is a mild illness caused by a virus infection. Roseola has a

sudden onset and short duration, and it most commonly affects young
children. Roseola is most common in children 6 to 24 months of age.
The average age at onset is around 9 months. Less frequently, older
children, teens, and (rarely) adults may be infected.