This is this time of year! People spread holiday cheer, and germs, leading to diseases like Covid, Fla, RSV, Bug to Norovirus and much more. But how long are you contagious?
Dr. Carla García Carreño, director of infection prevention at Children’s Medical Center in Plano, is already seeing an increase in RSV, COVID and flu in her area, she told CBS News.
And a late winter wave of COVID infections is also looking likely. COVID-19 surveillance data indicates that the winter wave is beginning later than in past seasons where the median peaks were in December or January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Luckily, there are ways to help prevent illness, including social distancing, washing our hands and getting vaccinated.
But if you end up doing something, here’s what you want to know to stay with others this holiday season.
People with COVID-19 can be contagious one or two days before and up to 8 to 10 days after the symptoms begin, according to CDC.
“Most transmission appears to occur in the early periods of infection, that is, one to two days before the onset of symptoms and the first few days after the onset of symptoms,” its online page notes.
Covid symptoms in 2024 would likely range depending on vaccination status, but would possibly include:
However, it is checking and not diagnosing, experts say.
“If you come in with some symptoms of cough or sore throat or runny nose, whatever it is, I can’t tell you if that’s a cold, if it’s walking pneumonia, if it’s COVID or the flu. You do need to test,” Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said recently on “CBS Mornings.”
Asymptomatic individuals can also transmit the virus.
So how do we know when to be with others? You don’t have to wait any longer to give negative. On the other hand, the CDC shared simplified rules on when to finish the insulation after contracting the virus: without fever for 24 hours and progressive symptoms.
“Once the user is fever-free for 24 hours without fever medications like ibuprofen, it deserves a small withdrawal. But his respiratory symptoms will also have to improve,” García Carreño said. Formation
After this time, you can start going out, but it’s a smart concept to take precautions to keep others safe.
“For example, try to spread the social networks of others and, if possible, use a mask. It is recommended for five more days,” he said.
In addition to the COVID, these rules also apply to other respiratory infections, adding the flu and the VRS, Garcia Carreño said.
In most people infected, influenza viruses can be detected starting one day before symptoms begin and up to five to seven days after becoming sick, according to the CDC.
“People with flu are most contagious during the first three days of their illness. Some people, including young children and people with weakened immune systems may be contagious for longer periods of time,” the agency’s website states.
The CDC’s update guidelines apply here, meaning you can return to normal after being fever-free for 24 hours without medication and have improved symptoms.
García Carreño said that medications like Tamiflu do not replace those deadlines either.
“The use of antivirals shouldn’t be a factor for prolonging the spread of the of the illness,” she said.
Although antiviral medications can help relieve symptoms, other people deserve to monitor fever and symptoms based on CDC updates.
People with intestinal flu, also known as viral gastroenteritis or norovirus, sometimes get worse in 1 to 3 days; However, they can always spread the virus to others for days afterward, and the virus can remain on surfaces and continue to spread. It infects other people for weeks.
“You can still spread norovirus for 2 weeks or more after you feel better,” the CDC says.
Norovirus is a gastrointestinal virus, not a respiratory virus like other illnesses we see this time of year, Garcia Carreno explained.
“It’s also very contagious, but it’s more contagious via vomiting and diarrhea, so it’s through fecal (and) oral (transmission),” she said. “So hand-washing is really important, and it’s important to say that usually we need bleach products for norovirus to be inactivated.”
According to CDC data, cases of norovirus are emerging in parts of the U. S. this winter. U. S.
If you have poor health with Norovirus at home, García Carreno advises to sterilize or decontaminate the bathrooms that this user has used.
In addition to washing your hands to keep illness away, it’s also a smart idea to share cups and utensils with other people to avoid gastrointestinal and respiratory viruses, he said.
People with VR are sometimes contagious for 3 to 8 days, according to the CDC. They can also be contagious for a day or two before they start having symptoms.
“Some infants and people with weakened immune systems can continue to spread the virus for 4 weeks or longer, even after they stop showing symptoms,” the agency notes.
The same CDC guidelines for COVID and flu also apply to RSV — people can end isolation after being fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicines and have improved symptoms.
In general, the rule that applies to other respiratory viruses is also used for bacterial pneumonia, García Carreno said, meaning that once someone is fever-free for 24 hours and sees innovations in symptoms, they are not as contagious. .
“Also, for most of those pneumonias, you are not contagious after 24 hours of antibiotics. So once you have gained 24 hours of effective or adequate antibiotics. . . the contagiousness will decrease,” he said.
You’re most contagious when symptoms are at their worst, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which is usually the first three days.
But you can still get the disease beyond this period.
“It can be contagious for up to two weeks, or even one day or two without blood before presenting symptoms,” said the clinic’s website.
The vintage bloodless virus is the rhinovirus, and the same regulations will apply to the rhinovirus (as for other respiratory viruses), “said García Carreno, while cautioning that the rhinovirus is” one of the maximum contagious viruses, “even if your symptoms are milder.