The common cold is a viral infection of your nose and throat (upper respiratory tract). It's usually harmless, although it might not feel that way.
Think of the common cold as an annoying pop-up ad on your computer. It's not going to destroy your system, but it can slow things down and be quite irritating until you manage to close it.
Rhinitis: Inflammation and swelling of the mucous membrane in the nose, typically due to a cold or allergy.
Virus: A tiny infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of life forms.
Influenza: An infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms can be mild to severe and even lead to death in severe cases.
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