If you have a contagious cold, don't ignore your symptoms. Learn how to determine when you need to take a sick day.
More than 200 types of viruses can cause the common cold. These viruses can survive for a brief period of time on most surfaces and in air droplets, making it easy to “catch a cold” by simply touching something or breathing the air around you.
It's no wonder, then, that people in the United States catch a billion colds every year.
The cold and flu season lasts from September until May, but catching a cold has nothing to do with the temperature outside. The reason colds are so contagious has more to do with the amount of time people spend inside in close contact with each other.
What Is a Contagious Cold?
The common, contagious cold is a brief, mild illness. The early symptoms of headache, sneezing, chills, and sore throat start two to three days after you have been infected. The symptoms of nasal discharge and congestion increase quickly and then go away after about a week. You are most contagious during the period before the symptoms start and during the first two days you feel sick. That means you can be contagious even before you realize you are sick.
Contagious Cold: When Should You Stay Home?
Knowing when to stay home depends on where you work. Staying home from work or school probably won't make your cold go away more quickly. But being a good citizen means knowing when you're likely to infect others and trying your best to avoid doing so. If you have a job with people, or you are in school, it would be hard to avoid giving your cold to someone else.
If you have a runny nose and are coughing, your germs are likely to spread, according to Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, an internal medicine specialist in Annapolis, Md. If you have a runny nose and are coughing, you are not likely to get much work done.
Bottom line, if you have a fever, or you are coughing and sneezing, consider staying home, especially if you work in close contact with others. If you must go to work or school with a contagious cold, however, do your best not to spread it by using a tissue to cover your nose and mouth when you have to cough or sneeze, throwing away used tissues, and washing your hands frequently. Avoid close contact with your co-workers or classmates as much as possible.
More than 200 types of viruses can cause the common cold. These viruses can survive for a brief period of time on most surfaces and in air droplets, making it easy to “catch a cold” by simply touching something or breathing the air around you.
It's no wonder, then, that people in the United States catch a billion colds every year.
The cold and flu season lasts from September until May, but catching a cold has nothing to do with the temperature outside. The reason colds are so contagious has more to do with the amount of time people spend inside in close contact with each other.
What Is a Contagious Cold?
The common, contagious cold is a brief, mild illness. The early symptoms of headache, sneezing, chills, and sore throat start two to three days after you have been infected. The symptoms of nasal discharge and congestion increase quickly and then go away after about a week. You are most contagious during the period before the symptoms start and during the first two days you feel sick. That means you can be contagious even before you realize you are sick.
Contagious Cold: When Should You Stay Home?
Knowing when to stay home depends on where you work. Staying home from work or school probably won't make your cold go away more quickly. But being a good citizen means knowing when you're likely to infect others and trying your best to avoid doing so. If you have a job with people, or you are in school, it would be hard to avoid giving your cold to someone else.
If you have a runny nose and are coughing, your germs are likely to spread, according to Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, an internal medicine specialist in Annapolis, Md. If you have a runny nose and are coughing, you are not likely to get much work done.
Bottom line, if you have a fever, or you are coughing and sneezing, consider staying home, especially if you work in close contact with others. If you must go to work or school with a contagious cold, however, do your best not to spread it by using a tissue to cover your nose and mouth when you have to cough or sneeze, throwing away used tissues, and washing your hands frequently. Avoid close contact with your co-workers or classmates as much as possible.
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