You may be capable of spreading your germs for longer than you think.
By Sally Wadyka Wed 12:29 PM
This probably isn’t what parents wanting to get their kids back to school want to hear, but as long as there are still symptoms present—congestion, runny nose, sneezing, coughing—you’re still contagious.
But given that the average cold lasts one to two weeks, it’s not realistic to shut yourself (or your kids) up at home for every sniffle.
“Even when you’re starting to feel better, be sure to practice good hygiene,” says Davis Liu, MD, a board-certified family doctor and author of The Thrifty Patient - Vital Insider Tips for Saving Money and Staying Healthy. “Cover up your coughs and sneezes and wash your hands frequently to avoid sharing your germs.”
And contrary to popular belief, the color of your mucous isn’t a good indicator of whether or not you’re still capable of passing on your illness. Unless your runny nose is caused by allergies, consider yourself contagious for as long as there’s stuff leaking out of your nose.
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3 jersey721Wed 1:31 PM avatar My boss has a cold. She stayed home yesterday. Today she is coming in. Now, today is also national boss day. What do I do? Say "happy boss day . . . now get out?" 81 5Replies (3)
SICKofsuchstuffWed 2:24 PM avatar Wash your hands!!!! Cover your cough and sneeze with your arm bend around your face! Stay home with symptoms of the flu ( different from a cold). Expect a couple colds a year and deal. 37 0Replies (2) raymagnumxWed 2:55 PM avatar The average person is very ignorant...I work with people who will go over to the copier & sneeze all over it without covering their germs so the next person to use it will probably get infected. If people were more considerate there would be a lot less sickness out there. Currently we have 2 people in our office who have been coughing for almost 3 weeks & I suggested that they go to the doctor because this is not normal & both said they were too busy(by the way we have an excellent health care & all they would pay to get better is a $15 co-pay). 37 3Replies (5) jon . (jon_83)Wed 1:13 PM avatar hahhh hahhhhhhhh hahhhhhhhhhh wahhhhhhhhhhhhh CHEWWWWWWWwwwww
sorry
42 12Replies (4)
Sol MannWed 1:21 PM avatar Bless you! 32 3Replies (0) hemimomWed 1:23 PM avatar Unfortunately it's that time of year!
Cough, Cough! 24 4Replies (0)
Seurat61Wed 2:14 PM avatar Kind of a stupid article anyhow. You're contagious before the symptoms truly show, so staying home when you're sick is pointless, you've already spread it around. 35 19Replies (0)
BrandonKatWed 1:41 PM avatar jon - gezundheit! Not sure i spelled that right :) 10 1Replies (0)
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