My kids take this all winter long and they have avoided getting the flu, stomach flu, sinus infection, a 14 day cold, and bronchitis. My oldest couldn't swallow pills but these are so tiny that she learned to swallows these pills first. Taking the zinc, this really cuts down the length of time getting sick to one bad day instead of dragging it along for 2 weeks. My child has asthma and even getting a cold will make it hard for her to sleep and breathe at night. She barely got sick the whole school season where she was sick every month without theses wonderful pills