three day RELATED TOPICS: Constipation: Coughs: Diaper rash: Diarrhea in young children: Fever: Food allergies: Hernia: Vomiting Quick Reference Common cold SYMPTOMS • Nasal congestion • Sneezing • Clear nasal discharge • Scratchy sore throat • Fever • Red, watery eyes • Dry cough • Swollen, tender lymph nodes in the neck • Mild pain in the ears HOME CARE • Give the child plenty of liquids. • Do not permit strenuous activities while the child has a fever. • Increase room humidity with a vaporizer or humidifier. • Give acetaminophen for fever or pain. • Use nose drops or oral decongestants and a nasal aspirator to relieve nasal congestion. • Use cough medicine if the cough is severe. • Isolate the child, particularly from infants and the elderly. PRECAUTIONS • Do not overuse cold medications. Overuse can cause more harm than good. • Do not expose young infants to anyone with a cold, even a mild one. • The following are usually not cold symptoms, but signs of another illness: fever lasting more than two or three days; puslike discharge from the eyes, nose, or ears; redness or extreme tenderness of the lymph nodes in the neck; breathing difficulties; chest pain; severe headache; stiff neck; vomiting; chills accompanied by shaking; prostration (collapse). If any of these symptoms occurs, call your doctor. Blocked eustachian tube Л common cold may cause discomfort in the nose, sinuses, eyes, ears, and throat. A cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. The infection causes discomfort in the throat, nose, and sinuses. A cold sometimes also affects the eyes (connected to the nose by the tear ducts), the ears (connected to the nose by the eustachian tubes), and the lymph nodes of the neck (connected to the nose by lymph channels). A cold is transmitted from person to person through the air or by droplets on the hands or on objects (for example, toys, drinking glasses, and handkerchiefs). Symptoms may develop within two to seven days after exposure to a cold virus. People of all ages are subject to catching colds, but younger children and infants are particularly at risk from colds. Many years were spent trying to develop a vaccine against the cold germ. Then it was discovered that there is not just one cold germ. Colds are caused by many different viruses, and all respiratory viruses can cause common colds. An attack by one type of virus makes a person immune to only that virus. Often this immunity lasts only for a short time. Many cold viruses can cause complications, such as croup, laryngitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, viral pneumonia, and encephalitis. All cold viruses can make a child more susceptible to bacterial infections, such as ear infections, sinus infections, lymph infections, and bacterial pneumonia. No child's cold should be taken lightly. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS The symptoms of a cold are nasal congestion, sneezing, clear nasal discharge, scratchy sore throat, and fever up to 103°F. hand