What are rhinoviruses?

Rhinoviruses are tiny germs that make your nose and throat feel icky when you're sick.

Imagine you have a tiny robot inside your body, it's called a rhinovirus. This robot is really good at sneaking into your nose and throat, where it starts a little party, making you sneeze, cough, or feel runny-nosed.

Think of rhinoviruses like tiny sticky notes that stick to the inside of your nose. When they attach there, they start telling your body’s cells to make more of them, kind of like a copy machine gone wild! Soon, you have lots and lots of these little robots everywhere in your nose and throat, making you feel all snuffy and sneezy.

These tiny germs can travel through the air when someone nearby coughs or sneezes, or they can even live on doorknobs, toys, or phones. If you touch one of those things and then touch your nose, poof, the rhinovirus has a new home!

So next time you feel runny-nosed, remember: it's just a little robot party in your nose!