Some facts to reassure you

• Because there are so many viruses that cause the symptoms of the common cold, people may have multiple colds each year and dozens over a lifetime.
• Children under six years get an average of six to eight colds per year (up to one per month, September through April). Symptoms last an average of 14 days. This means that a child could be ill with intermittent cold symptoms for nearly half of the days in this time period, without cause for concern.
• Young children in daycare appear to suffer from more colds than children cared for at home. However, when day-care children enter primary school, they catch fewer colds, presumably because they are already immune to a larger number.