How long sick contagious

Your doctor may recommend several treatments for your illness. The flu is a viral infection caused by the influenza virus that targets your head and chest. People often feel the achiness and fatigue first, before their respiratory symptoms develop.

Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter OTC pain relievers such as acetaminophen Tylenol or ibuprofen Advil, Motrin may help you manage your symptoms.

To relieve your symptoms faster, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug such as oseltamivir Tamiflu , peramivir Rapivab , zanamivir Relenza , or baloxavir Xofluza. Also, antiviral drugs can cause side effects such as nausea , vomiting, and diarrhea.

Also, call your doctor right away if you have any of the more serious flu symptoms, such as trouble breathing or dizziness. Common colds are caused by many different viruses. These viruses spread through the air, just like influenza. Treat your cold by taking it easy. Drink water and other non-caffeinated fluids and get as much rest as you can. You can also take an OTC cold remedy. Some of these drugs come in multi-symptom cold, cough, fever varieties. Decongestant nasal sprays relieve congestion.

However, if you use a certain type for more than three days, it could give you a rebound stuffed nose. Some of these drugs can also cause an increase in blood pressure or a rapid heartbeat. If you have high blood pressure , an irregular heart rhythm , or heart disease , talk to your doctor before you use a decongestant. Antihistamines can also help clear up a stuffy nose, but older ones such as diphenhydramine Benadryl can make you sleepy.

Colds are usually mild, but they can sometimes lead to complications such as bronchitis or pneumonia. Shop for nasal decongestant sprays.

Your sneezing, sniffling nose, and watery eyes might not be contagious at all. However, severe symptoms can begin as early as day 2. The length of time it takes a person to recover from COVID depends on many factors, including whether or not they develop symptoms, how severe any symptoms are, and whether or not they have any underlying medical conditions.

One study found that people with mild-to-moderate cases usually recover in about 2 weeks, with older adults and males taking slightly longer than younger people and females to recover. The study did not take into account the exact severity of the disease or any underlying health conditions. It did not include those with severe symptoms. Another study involving people hospitalized with severe COVID found a wide range of hospital stay durations.

They ranged from around 5 days for younger, healthier people to 2 or more weeks for older, less healthy people. The median length of stay was 11 days. Some people were discharged to nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities.

Although this may indicate that they had not fully recovered from COVID, it may also be that this is where they were originally living. A small study included participants of all ages and symptom severities.

The results suggest that people over the age of 65 years may be more likely to experience long COVID. People with COVID tend to be most contagious just before and just after the appearance of symptoms. However, some people may develop no symptoms at all. Taking precautions such as wearing a face mask and practicing physical distancing can greatly reduce the risk of further spread.

People should follow quarantine guidelines and never assume that an absence of symptoms means an absence of COVID The new coronavirus is spreading quickly and easily. Learn more about how a person can transmit the virus, as well as how to avoid it, here.

Information contained in this story may be outdated. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Follow Us. Toggle Main Menu. Alert icon. In most cases, bronchitis is caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold or flu, and you're likely to be infectious as long as you have cold or flu symptoms. Chickenpox is infectious from 2 days before the spots appear to until they have crusted over, usually 5 days after they first appeared. The common cold is infectious from a few days before your symptoms appear until all of the symptoms are gone.

Most people will be infectious for around 2 weeks. Symptoms are usually worse during the first 2 to 3 days, and this is when you're most likely to spread the virus. Flu is usually most infectious from the day your symptoms start and for a further 3 to 7 days. Glandular fever isn't particularly contagious and can usually only be spread through direct contact with saliva, which is why it's sometimes called "the kissing disease".

Around 2 to 4 days later, a red-brown spotty rash develops that normally fades after about a week. Mumps causes your salivary glands to swell.

These glands are just below and in front of your ears.