Is the common cold airborne?

When someone with a cold coughs, sneezes, talks, or touches their nose and mouth, virus-containing particles can reach nearby people or objects. You may then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth and become infected. Risk is higher with close, prolonged contact and shared indoor air, but a cold is not spread by cold weather itself.

Symptoms commonly include a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, sore throat, and cough. A person may pass the virus before realising they are ill and while symptoms are present. A blocked nose or cough can have causes other than a cold, so symptoms alone do not identify the virus.

Wash hands with soap and water, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or caring for a sick person. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, dispose of tissues, and avoid touching your face. Improve ventilation, avoid sharing cups and towels, and clean frequently touched surfaces. Stay home when unwell where possible and take extra care around babies, older adults, and people with long-term conditions.

Arrange medical advice if symptoms are getting worse, are not improving, or are accompanied by significant ear pain, chest discomfort, or difficulty breathing. Seek urgent help for severe breathlessness, blue lips, confusion, fainting, or inability to keep fluids down. A barking cough or noisy breathing may point to croup and should be assessed promptly, particularly in a child.

Ask whether the symptoms fit a cold, how to protect vulnerable household members, and which signs mean a child or adult needs same-day assessment. Tell the clinician when symptoms began and whether anyone else at home is ill.