Cold War Continues.

RESEARCHERS AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY HAVE DETERMINED THAT COMMON COLD VIRUS RHINOVIRUS 16, as this model shows, contains 60 tentacles capable of connecting to human cells. But a cure for la gripe remains years away. So as the mercury begins to drop in portions of South America and office managers maintain near-polar conditions in corporate buildings, the common cold business sees pneumonial growth.

Cough and cold remedies surged to US$6.5 billion in 1999, making them the single largest segment of the $40.8 billion global market for over-the-counter medicines, according to specialized research firm IMS. Such has been the growth in self-medication in Latin America, in particular, that over-the-counter drug manufacturers recently renamed their umbrella organization the Industria Latinoamericana de Automedicacion Responsable. The idea is to promote responsible use of non-prescription medications.

But the best anti-sniffle strategy remains prevention or, should you catch cold, a hot bowl of good old fashioned canja de galinha or consome de pollo, also known as chicken soup.