To an extent, behaviors like not touching your face and regularly washing your hands are powerful ways to fight the spread of disease. And no amount of quack medical gear and snake oil can change that. Tap or click to see how Facebook is banning ads for fake coronavirus cures.
Endangered rhinovirus
Every year, the U.S. economy loses $40 billion in lost productivity and doctor’s visits. And that’s on top of millions of missed school days from kids around the country. An effective cure would be a boon to national production and would help American workers keep more money in their pockets every winter. RELATED: Tap or click to find out how to disinfect your tech and keep colds and flu away
Why hasn’t anybody else done this yet?
Curing the common cold is no walk in the park. Rhinoviruses mutate rapidly, which means ordinary vaccines would stop being effective over time and new ones would need to be continuously made. This is the reason you need a flu vaccine each year, but rhinoviruses mutate even more than influenza. The common cold is such a mild disease that it usually resolves itself rather quickly. A severe vaccine or drug regiment could have potential side effects that are worse than the illness itself, which is why developing a cure is a true tightrope act of science.
