Why there are so many coughs and colds around at the moment.

You might have noticed more people with coughs and sniffles at the moment.

Maybe you or someone in your family has got a cold that just won't seem to go away?

Or perhaps some of your classmates are ill or off school?

Runny noses, sore throats and headaches are never fun but why does there seem to be more of it around at present?

What's happening?

Coughs, colds and flu are nothing new especially during the winter months, when they are more common.

The colder weather means that people are indoors more often, which allows bugs and viruses to spread more easily from one person to another.

However, according to the organisation that represents family doctors, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), doctors have noticed that coughs and other similar illnesses seem to be lasting a bit longer than usual this wintertime.

They say that this could be down to a few different reasons.

Experts think it could be the result of people picking up one infection after another.

Germs are all different so getting over one type of infection such as a cough or a cold does not mean that your can't then pick up another one.

Also, they say that rules which were brought in during the coronavirus pandemic could also be having an effect, now that they've ended.

Lockdown, social distancing and mask wearing - which were in place over the past few years, meant that levels of illnesses such as flu have been very low in the UK for the past two winters.

That's because people were staying at home, not seeing friends and family and keeping a distance from others when in public - which not only helped stop coronavirus spreading, but also other germs too.

Now, as those rules have been relaxed, and with more people mixing, bugs and viruses have been able to spread more easily again.

Professor Hawthorne from the GCGP explained that most people will recover from coughs and colds on their own.

She also added that washing your hands regularly, or using hand gel if that isn't possible, and throwing tissues away once they've been used can all help stop the spread of germs.