How long is a cold infectious to others?

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.

How long should you stay home with a cold?

What’s smartest is to stay home for the worst of the illness-about two to four days for a severe cold and five to seven days for the flu, Saxinger said. “When you’re feeling your worst, try not to be out and about; that’s when you are most infectious.”

Can you spread a cold if you don’t have symptoms?

If you have just a mild cold, are you less infectious? Just because you have mild symptoms doesn’t mean the virus is mild. It may just mean that your immune system controls the infection. So it’s important to remember that even with minimal symptoms, YES, you can still infect others.

Is a cold contagious after 24 hours?

How long am I contagious after a cold? “Most people are contagious with a cold a day before they notice symptoms until about a week after the onset of symptoms,” Pittman said. “The CDC’s recommendation is to stay home until you are fever free for 24 hours without the help of a fever reducer.”

What are common cold symptoms?

Woman with symptoms of the common cold. The typical symptoms of a cold include cough, runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, and a sore throat, sometimes accompanied by muscle ache, fatigue, headache, and loss of appetite.

When are you no longer contagious cold?

It depends on how long your cold lasts. You usually do not need any medical intervention for a cold, but you may have to deal with those symptoms for at least a week or so. Cough may last longer, but after a week, the cough is usually not contagious. You are no longer contagious and are cured of cold when you do not have any cold symptoms and signs.

When are colds most contagious?

Colds are most contagious in the first two to four days after symptoms start.

What are symptoms of a viral cold?

The common cold refers to a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. Characteristic symptoms include. cough, stuffy or runny nose, scratchy or sore throat, and. sneezing.