Here's How to Really Know If You're Still Contagious After Being Sick

The end of year holidays are approaching and it's not really the time to get sick. Despite the thickness of the layers of clothing, winter temperatures spare no one and give rise to flu, sore throats and even colds. Christmas Eve is the perfect time to meet up with friends and family over a good meal, but this bubble of happiness can be ruined when you get sick. If you are worried about spreading your illness to those close to you, it is important to know if you are still contagious after getting sick.

When people get the flu, they “get sick quite quickly. They feel fine in the morning and in the afternoon they are suddenly very sick”says Dr. Marlene Millen, a board-certified internist and primary care physician at UC San Diego Health, at HuffPost. The following symptoms may be present: chills, fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, fatigue and headache, runny or congested nose. “People are more contagious the first few days”Millen said, and remain contagious for up to seven days. It is therefore important to stay home as long as you have symptoms! Once the fever starts to go away, you are less contagious and can leave your home. But be careful, continue to wear a mask and practice physical distancing for at least five days afterwards or as long as your symptoms persist. “You can be contagious for up to two weeks after infection, if you are still quite sick or if you are immunocompromised”explained Dr. Millen.

Here's how to know if you're still contagious after having COVID-19

As you have known for several years now, COVID-19 is caused by a virus known as SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms of COVID may include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, stuffy or runny nose, diarrhea, fatigue, and nausea or vomiting . Although less common today, loss of taste or smell is another symptom seen in COVID-19. For Dr. Millen, it is necessary to stay at home when you have symptoms of COVID, even if they are mild. Once symptoms begin to improve overall and your fever has subsided, you are considered less contagious and can leave your home.

The certified internist still recommends wearing a mask and practicing social distancing if symptoms persist or in the event of a positive result from a home COVID test. Sometimes COVID symptoms get worse one to two weeks after they initially appear. If this happens, stay home again and follow the protocols above to avoid spreading the virus to others. Some people may be asymptomatic even if they have COVID-19. If you are one of these people and you test positive for COVID-19, wear a mask and practice physical distancing from other people for at least five days.

Find out how long it takes you to stop being contagious after a cold

Colds are caused by many types of respiratory viruses and have the following symptoms: runny or congested nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, fever, body aches, and headache. If the common cold is similar to the flu, Dr. Millen says that “colds come on gradually, usually over a period of a few days”unlike the flu, which is very brutal and intense. Once you start experiencing cold symptoms, you are contagious for about seven dayssays Dr. Tara Vijayan, medical director of the Adult Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at UCLA Health. Once the symptoms disappear, you are no longer contagious. Otherwise, stay at home.

Once symptoms start to improve and your fever has subsided without taking paracetamol for at least a full 24 hours, you can return to your daily activities. Wearing a mask and physical distancing is nevertheless recommended until symptoms resolve or for at least five days, to avoid spreading the virus to others.

Here's how to tell if you're still contagious after having tonsillitis or whooping cough

As Dr. Millen explains at HuffPostangina is a bacterial infection that usually manifests as a sore throat without nasal symptoms or watery eyes. When you start to have a swollen throat, red spots on the roof of your mouth or white spots on your throat and a fever, tell your doctor as soon as possible so they can prescribe antibiotics. Angina “can be contagious for up to three weeks if you don't take antibiotics.”

Dr. Millen defines whooping cough as a bacterial infection with cold-like symptoms early in the illness. It is possible to have a runny nose, a very mild cough and a slight fever. After seven to fourteen days, the cough worsens and becomes violent and uncontrollable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whooping cough is contagious from the time symptoms appear until about 14 days after the cough begins.