Editing Common Cold (section)

==Causes==
[[Survivors]] can become spontaneously infected with the cold when their '''body temperature is low for too long'''.  

* This process is controlled by a "timer" stat. When the survivor's heat comfort level is low (indicated by a blue temperature HUD symbol), the timer decreases. The colder the survivor, the faster it drops. Once the timer hits a critical threshold, the survivor becomes sick. Conversely, when the heat comfort level is neutral (white) or higher, the timer increases, allowing the survivor to endure cold conditions longer without contracting the disease.
* The timer's decrease rate varies randomly, but infections generally occur after 4–15 minutes of continuous cold exposure, depending on how low the heat comfort is. The timer fully resets to its maximum within approximately 10 minutes of maintaining a non-blue temperature.

Other survivors suffering from Common cold, [[Influenza]] or [[Pneumonia]] can transmit the disease to nearby players through droplets from their [[Sneezing]] or [[Coughing]]. 

A sick survivor will '''contaminate''' any '''food''' they eat, '''water''' they drink, or '''blood''' collected from them. These items can then infect other survivors who consume or transfuse them.

Since the common cold can only progress in survivors with low heat comfort, a warm survivor is highly unlikely to become sick through sneezing, coughing, or consuming contaminated food or water. However, an infected [[IV Blood Bag]] contains a large enough dose to cause immediate sickness upon transfusion.