What If There Are No Symptoms
In people without symptoms, determining contagiousness is difficult, as many people without symptoms may never know that they have COVID-19.
If a person has no symptoms, they are asymptomatic. If a person does not have symptoms but later develops them, they are pre-symptomatic before they experience the symptoms.
A 2020 study found that both asymptomatic people and pre-symptomatic people can and do spread the virus.
Researchers looked at 31 people hospitalized for other reasons who tested positive for COVID-19 but did not have any symptoms. Of these participants, 22 eventually developed symptoms, while nine never did.
Overall, the length of time that the study participants shed potentially contagious virus particles was in the range of 516 days.
say that a person who has had COVID-19 can be around other people again if all of the below statements are true:
- It has been 10 days since they first developed symptoms.
- They have not had a fever for 24 hours and have not used fever-reducing medications.
- Their other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving.
If a person is only experiencing a loss of taste and smell as a lingering symptom, they do not need to continue isolating.
It is important to note that this recommendation is for people who have had symptoms. Also, it does not apply to people who have had severe COVID-19 or those who have a severely weakened immune system. Other recommendations exist for these groups.
Staying Safe And Stopping The Spread Of The Flu
We’ve learnt a lot about staying safe and healthy in the last year, but the seasonal flu is still a concern and the best way to prevent it is by getting your flu shot
In the past year we’ve learned a lot about how to stay safe and stay healthy.
We know to wash our hands properly and sanitize often to stay home.
If we don’t feel well and to keep our distance from others but even with these precautions, the seasonal flu is still a concern and the best way to avoid it is to get your flu shot.
Remember to make sure it’s at least two weeks apart from your covert 19 vaccine to truly protect yourself and the people you love this flu season.
Don’t forget your flu shot authorised by the Victorian Government Melbourne.
What Stops The Flu From Spreading
There are multiple ways to avoid getting and spreading the flu. Here are some of the best ways:
- Washing your hands often: This will help protect you from any germs that could make their way into your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you cannot wash your hands with soapy water, then hand sanitizer is the next best thing.
- Avoiding close contact with sick people: Trying your best to stay away from sick people will help keep you from catching the flu. If youre sick with the flu, limiting your contact with other people will keep you from spreading the flu.
- Covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing: When youre sick with the flu and cough or sneeze, tiny droplets containing the flu virus can travel through the air and infect other people. Covering your mouth and nose is a great way to help stop this.
- Wearing a face mask: The protection you get from face masks isnt exclusive to coronavirus. A face mask can protect you from the common cold and flu too.
- Staying up to date on vaccinations: Getting a flu shot is one of the best ways to prevent the flu. Flu vaccines have been proven to reduce the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations, and flu-related deaths.
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How Long Am I Contagious After A Stomach Bug
Any time you have had diarrhearegardless how oftenor if you vomited twice in the past 24 hours, then you need to stay home, advised Pittman. If you vomit two or more times in one day, then that likely means you did not throw up because of something you ate or because you got too hot outside.
The stomach flu or a stomach bug is often called viral gastroenteritis, and it is highly contagious. It spreads through contact with an infected persons stool or vomit.
Some viruses, such as norovirus, can live on surfaces for more than 24 hours, and it spreads very quickly, especially with children, said Pittman. If symptoms last more than 24 hours or if you or your children start to feel dehydrated, then call your primary care provider.
Do Some Strains Of The Flu Last Longer Than Other Strains
Although different influenza strains dont generally affect the duration of illness, some strains can cause more severe illness than others.
According to the CDC, influenza A viruses have been associated with more hospitalizations and deaths in children and the elderly than other human influenza subtypes or strains, such as influenza A and influenza B.
Additionally, vaccine effectiveness for influenza A viruses has been generally lower.
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Treatment And Home Remedies
If youre sick, be sure to drink plenty of liquids and get plenty of rest. You can also take over-the-counter pain and fever relievers, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen , to help relieve your symptoms.
Stay at home while youre sick and for at least 24 hours after your fever has gone down.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication. Antiviral medications can reduce the length of your illness and may help prevent complications. They dont kill the influenza virus, however.
Antiviral medications must be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms in order to be effective.
How Long Can I Spread The Flu For
The flu is contagious from the day before symptoms start to five to seven days after becoming sick. The incubation period of the flu, or how long it can take to develop symptoms after exposure and infection, is about one to four days. One reason the flu spreads so quickly is that someone can be contagious and not show signs of being sick until a few days after catching the flu virus.
The contagious periods of the flu, common cold, and stomach bug are very similar. With the common cold, you can become contagious one to two days before symptoms start, and you can remain contagious for up to two weeks. The same is true for the stomach bug, and you wont stop being contagious for several days after youve completely recovered. As far as the coronavirus is concerned, Harvard Health reports that COVID-19 can be contagious 48 to 72 hours before the first onset of symptoms. The contagious period ends about 10 days after symptoms resolve. Some infectious disease experts still recommend 14 days of isolation.
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Why Get The Flu Vaccine
You never forget the flu, it can hit quickly and last for a few weeks, meaning time off work or school and staying away from family and friends.
The flu doesnt discriminate, and anyone can be affected thats why it’s so important that everyone in the community protects themselves against the flu this season by getting their flu shot.
Find out more about flu immunisation.
How Long Should I Stay Home After Getting A Nuisance Disease Like Lice/ringworm/pinworms
People with head lice should not return to school or work until treatment has begun, Pittman said. Pinworms and ringworm are also incredibly contagious, especially for children, but they usually do not require someone to miss school or work. Always follow the health policies at your school or workplace.
Head lice has over-the-counter treatments you may purchase at your local drug store. Ringworm and pinworms typically require a visit to your primary care providers office to get the appropriate prescription.
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For How Long Am I Contagious After Being Infected By The Flu
Dr. Brownfield answers the question: ‘How Long Am I Contagious With The Flu?’
& #151 — Question: For How Long Am I Contagious After Being Infected By The Flu?
Answer: The tricky thing about flu viruses and viruses in general — you yourself can actually be contagious a whole day prior to developing symptoms. And you can be contagious up to five days once you’ve developed symptoms.
Know How The Flu Is Transmitted
The flu is a very contagious virus. An infected person often becomes contagious, or capable of spreading the virus to other people, even before they begin to show symptoms. Also, it’s possible to spread flu germs to others for up to seven days after becoming ill.
It’s thought that the flu virus spreads in the saliva droplets that result from coughing and sneezing. These droplets can travel as far as six feet, where they land in the nose or mouth, or are inhaled into the lungs of healthy individuals. The flu virus can also live on some objects or surfaces. If you touch a surface contaminated with the flu virus and then touch your own nose or mouth, you could become infected.
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Treating Cold And Flu
Both cold and flu cause symptoms that can disrupt daily life. In most cases, viral infections run their course relatively quickly without any treatment.
Many people find relief after treating the symptoms of these illnesses, however. A wide range of drugs help treat the symptoms of cold and flu. These are available over the counter .
There is also a selection of cold and flu medication available for purchase online.
These medications may be useful if severe symptoms make normal function difficult. In some people with influenza, doctors may prescribe antiviral medications.
Some people choose to take preventive action against flu in the form of vaccines. Creating a vaccine for a constantly evolving virus is difficult.
However, the CDC report that the vaccine reduces the risk of contracting the flu by
People Who Need More Than One Influenza Vaccine A Year
There are some people who are recommended to have a second dose of the influenza vaccine within the space of one year. These people include:
- Children less than 9 years of age receiving their influenza vaccine for the first time require 2 doses 4 weeks apart for an adequate immune response.
- People who have had a haematopoietic stem cell transplant or solid organ transplant and are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time after transplant.
- Pregnant women, who may be vaccinated with the next seasons influenza vaccine if it becomes available in the latter part of their pregnancy, even if they were vaccinated with the previous seasons vaccine prior to or earlier in pregnancy.
- Overseas travellers, who may benefit from a second dose of this seasons influenza vaccine if going to the northern hemisphere winter and receiving the northern hemisphere formulation there is not feasible.
Please check with your GP to find out whether you fall into one of these categories.
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When To Stay Home
When deciding whether to stay home, consider your symptoms. If you have a mild tickle in your throat or a stuffy nose, you should be able to go to work. Allergy symptoms also dont need to keep you from work. Theyre not contagious.
If youre really coughing and sneezing or you feel generally miserable, stay home. Also, avoid the office if youre vomiting or have diarrhea.
Get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and wait for your symptoms to subside. The
Your doctor may recommend several treatments for your illness. Its important to consider when these treatments may be helpful and their potential side effects.
How Long Can I Spread The Flu
Once your symptoms start, that is a definite sign that you may be contagious, and it will most likely last at least a few days.
Many adults have a contagious period of up to ten days after the onset of symptoms. If you are trying to determine if you are no longer contagious, you need to pay attention to your coughing, sneezing, and fever.
If you are still coughing and sneezing frequently, there is a good chance you can still spread the virus to your loved ones. The virus travels in the droplets that are expelled when you cough or sneeze, so you dont want to be around people until these symptoms have completely subsided.
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Protecting Yourself And Others
Most people know they should stay home when they are sick with something like the flu . However, it’s pretty difficult to avoid passing the virus if you don’t even know you have it yet.
This is one of the reasons flu vaccines are so important. If you are vaccinated against the flu, your body will have a chance to fight it off before it spreads in your body and you are less likely to pass it on to other people or get sick yourself.
If you do get sick, stay home.
Know when to call in sick to work, wash your hands frequently, and make sure those that come into contact with you do the same. Cover your cough and do everything you can to avoid being around people that are at high risk for serious complications from the flu.
Preventing the spread of the flu virus is up to all of us. Even if you think it won’t be serious for you if you get it, it might be for someone you pass it to.
What Is The Flu Again
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs, according to the CDC. There are two main types of flu virusestypes A and Band they usually circulate during flu season every year.
The flu can cause the following symptoms, per the CDC:
- fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Vomiting and diarrhea
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Is The Flu Contagious
The flu is very contagious. People can spread it from a day before they feel sick until their symptoms are gone. This is about 1 week for adults, but it can be longer for young kids.
The flu usually happens in annual epidemics. An epidemic is when an illness spreads quickly and infects lots of people in an area at the same time. Some years the epidemic is more severe and widespread than others. An epidemic that spreads worldwide is called a pandemic. This is far less common. There were three influenza pandemics in the 20th century, and one so far in the 21st century, in 2009 with influenza A .
During the coronavirus pandemic, experts found that wearing masks can help protect the community from the spread of germs. They recommended that all children age 2 and up wear a mask when out in public or around people who don’t live with them. Wearing masks can also help stop the spread of flu.
Preventing The Flu After Exposure
Although there are various products and remedies that may claim to help prevent illness once you’ve been exposed to the flu, none of them have proven to be effective. Your best bet to prevent the flu is to get your annual flu vaccine. Although it’s not 100 percent effective at preventing the flu, it gives you a much better chance of avoiding the illness than anything else.
If you are exposed to someone with the flu, avoid close contact with the person and wash your hands frequently.
- Vitamin C: Although vitamin C is widely used and has many benefits, there is no scientific proof that it will help you avoid an illness such as the flu or a cold.
- Humidifiers: Evidence suggests that viruses such as the cold and flu spread more easily in cold, dry air. This is one of the reasons that they’re more common during the winter. Running a humidifier in your home during the winter can help keep your nasal passages moist. And while there’s no guarantee that this will prevent you from getting sick, it can’t hurt .
- Antiviral medications: If you’re at high risk for complications from the flu and you know you were exposed to it, talk to your healthcare provider about taking antiviral medications. It can help prevent influenza in some people and will reduce the severity of the symptoms in those who do get it.
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How Long Is Someone With The Flu Contagious
With flu season making it’s earliest start in years, and certain strains of the virus hitting unlucky Americans hard this year, its important to be extra vigilant in your efforts to avoid catching it.
I recently got this question emailed to me by a concerned viewer:
Q: When is someone who has the flu contagious?
Some people who are infected with the influenza virus can actually transmit the illness before they begin to feel any symptoms.
Most of the time, you will become contagious about 24 to 72 hours after contracting the influenza virus and remain that way for up to five days after the onset of symptoms.
But children or people with compromised immune systems can be contagious to those around them for up to two weeks.
Flu is most commonly spread by coming into contact with respiratory moisture droplets from an infected person through sneezing or coughing.
Touching a surface tainted with respiratory droplets and then putting your hands up to your nose or mouth can also infect you.
Flu symptoms include:
How Long Is The Flu Contagious After Taking Tamiflu
Tamiflu is the brand name of the antiviral medication oseltamivir, which clinicians use to treat the flu. Other prescription antiviral medications are also available to help treat the illness.
There is some evidence to suggest that oseltamivir and other antivirals may not reduce viral shedding, which is the period when a person can transmit a virus, nor reduce transmission to close contacts. As a result, it is not possible to specify exactly when a person may no longer be contagious based on Tamiflu usage alone.
While antivirals such as oseltamivir may shorten the duration of symptoms, it is important to take the usual precautions to not spread the virus to others. The best strategy to prevent infection from happening is to vaccinate against the flu.
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