Duration

A cold in summer starts slowly with the first symptoms, which increase over a few days. The peak of the symptoms is then reached after three days. After about seven days, most symptoms usually subside again.

It is important to know that coughing typically comes later in a cold and lasts for 18 days on average, even if all other symptoms have already completely subsided. A lasting feeling of physical weakness may persist for several days after the other symptoms have subsided. During this phase, one should continue to take it easy on the body and not be exposed to the heat for a long time, as this can affect the circulation and the immune system. However, it would be unusual if the cold symptoms persisted for more than 14 days. Then a doctor should be consulted to clarify further causes of the remaining symptoms.

So contagious is a summer flu

A summer flu is as contagious as any other cold. The viruses are transmitted via tiny droplets that are thrown into the air when a sick person coughs or sneezes. Especially in confined spaces, such as public transport, one can quickly come into contact with the viruses.

Another important transmission route is smear infection, which means that there are viruses on a door handle, for example, which then spread to the skin by touch. If you now touch a mucous membrane with your hand, e.g. your mouth, nose or eye, the pathogens can penetrate and trigger a summer flu. The most effective protection against infection with viruses that trigger summer flu is regular hand washing.

Causes

The causative pathogens of the common cold in summer are viruses. However, these are different virus strains in summer than in winter. In summer, entero-, coxsackie-, and echoviruses typically trigger the common cold.

These viruses are all transmitted via droplet infection. When coughing or sneezing, tiny droplets are ejected into the air, in which the virus can reach the next person via the air. The smear infection also plays a role in these viruses.

In this form of transmission, the virus particles are first transmitted from the nasopharynx to the hand and then, in the next step, to various surfaces by touching them. Door handles or other surfaces that are touched by many people are particularly predestined for this.However, virus uptake via one of these transmission paths does not necessarily lead to a cold. Other rarer pathogens are Borrelia bacteria, which can be transmitted to humans by a tick bite.

Mostly other factors play a role, which cause a temporary weakening of the immune system. Temperature fluctuations, such as those caused by air conditioning systems, have a negative effect on the immune system. Furthermore, physical overexertion in the sun, as well as long sunbathing or wet clothes or hair can be a cause of a cold in summer.