Dr Nitin Gupta

Viruses are  germs  that can make people and animals sick. Viruses cause  colds ,  chickenpox ,  flu ,  hand, foot, and mouth disease , and many other diseases. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can infect the respiratory tract and cause symptoms like a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and fever.  Seven coronaviruses can infect humans, including the viruses that cause Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Other coronaviruses can infect animals like cats, dogs, monkeys, and rodents. At the end of 2019, a new type of  coronavirus  called COVID-19 began to make people sick in China. It causes fever, cough, and trouble breathing. It can be more serious in some people, especially if they were already sick. Doctors believe that coronaviruses spread from person to person through the air by sneezing or coughing, or by close contact, such as shaking hands. Coronavirus infections are mo...

Young children get a lot of colds because they haven’t had a chance to build up immunity to the many viruses that cause colds. As your child grows older, he’ll gradually build up immunity and get fewer colds. Colds are also called  upper respiratory tract infections . The common cold (upper respiratory infection) is one of the most common illnesses in children. Each year it leads to more healthcare provider visits and missed days from school and work than any other illness. A cold is caused by a virus. There are many—more than 200­—different types of viruses that can cause a cold. The most common one is called the rhinovirus, but others include the coronavirus, parainfluenza, adenovirus, enterovirus and respiratory syncytial viruses. Once a virus enters your child's body, it causes a reaction — the body's immune system begins to react to and fight off the virus. This, in turn, causes: an increase in mucus production (a runny nose) swelling of the l...