Of note, influenza viruses occasionally cause illnesses with symptoms of the common cold. The three most frequent symptoms of a cold are nasal stuffiness, sneezing, and runny nose. Adults and older children with colds generally have minimal or no fever. Infants and toddlers often run a fever in the 100 to 102 degree range. Depending on which virus is the culprit, the virus might also produce a headache, cough, postnasal drip, burning eyes, muscle aches, or a decreased appetite, but in a cold the most prominent symptoms are in the nose.
Colds are the most prevalent infectious disease.
In areas where there is no winter, colds are most common in the rainy season. Parents get about half as many colds as their children do. Moms tend to get at least one more cold per year than dads. When someone has a cold, the nasal secretions are teeming with cold viruses. Coughing, drooling, and talking are all unlikely ways to pass a cold.