Dear Dr. Donohue: I don't want to spread my cold. How long I am contagious? - W.L.
Dear W.L.: You are most infectious for three or four days with a cold, the day before symptoms occur and the two to three days thereafter.
Cold germs pass innocently to others via hand-to-hand contact - from the hands of the person infected to those of others, who get the cold by transferring the virus to the nose or eyes. Sneeze droplets is another medium of virus spread.
You can minimize the threat by using napkins frequently and by washing your hands from time to time during the day. The same methods work in avoiding cold viruses. Hand washing provides the single most effective method of prevention.
Dear Dr. Donohue: My company sponsors flu shots for us every year. I am in my late 20s. I had assumed the shots were only for older people. Should younger people get the shot? - M.J.B.
Dear M.J.B.: Yes, get the shot. Flu and flu protection know no age barrier. You might have heard someone say that flu shots can be lifesavers for older people or for those with chronic lung disease such as emphysema. And that's true. But there's no need to bar shots for young people in good health.
Your company is on the cutting edge in making flu shots available to employees. Such programs reduce sick days by 43 percent. Everybody wins.
Dear Dr. Donohue: A relative has Wegener's disease. What are possible symptoms, and what treatments are available?Should I be tested? - Anon.
Dear Reader: No one has ever figured out the cause of Wegener's granulomatosis. It is a rather rare problem, and has to do with various target organs and tissue - of the nose, breathing tubes, lungs and kidneys.
At first, there might be nothing but a runny nose. Then ulcers might form in the nose and throat linings. Coughing, sometimes with blood, and shortness of breath are other possible symptoms. The syndrome can affect such disparate locations as the eyes, joints and skin.
New drugs have greatly improved the outlook for Wegener's patients. Now 90 percent of patients improve, and 75 percent have remission. It's important that the syndrome be detected and treated early.
I have seen no authority citing a genetic link.
Write to Paul Donohue, M.D., P.O. Box 5539, Riverton, N.J. 08077-5539.