Over the last 3 days I’ve been afflicted with acute nasopharyngitis, ie the common cold. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Unfortunately it:

  • is the most common communicable health problem that can afflict humans.
  • causes Americans to spend $2.9 billion on over-the-counter drugs to dampen its effects.
  • results in a loss $20 billion due to work loss in the US.
  • has no known permanent cure.

Thankfully, it is not fatal in most cases and only lasts 3-7 days on average. For further info and some more depressing statistics click HERE (wikipedia article).