the most important measure to prevent the common cold is to avoid infected individuals. frequent hand washing is also extremely important as this can destroy viruses that you have acquired from touching contaminated surfaces. also try to avoid sharing utensils and try to use disposable items (such as disposable cups) if someone in your family has a cold. finally lifestyle modifications such as smoking cessation and stress management may decrease your susceptibility to acquiring the common cold. at this time an effective vaccine against the common cold is not available.
how do you prevent the common cold?