Sure, we all want to avoid getting sick. However, most of the time we find out it’s usually too late to guard against colds, flu, and other contagious illnesses. That’s because we can be exposed to the illness before the person who has it shows any symptoms.
For example, a family member may sneeze several times at the dinner table before coming down with a full-blown cold the next day. Even the early sneezes, has, probably exposed you and other members of your household to the cold virus. The flu can be contagious about a day prior to the onset of symptoms, and strep throat can be contagious as much as five days prior to onset.Contagious diseases can be spread by contact with or close proximity to an infected person, and there are varying degrees of contagiousness. Some diseases are easily transmitted from person to person, like a cold, while others can be transmitted only under specific conditions.
However, you must know how contagious they are for you to take appropriate steps to protect yourself. Learn which common conditions are contagious and get tips to avoid catching them.
Hepatitis
“Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver, and it is also the name of a family of viral infections that affect the liver. It is one of the most infectious diseases in the world. The virus is still active seven days after it has contacted a surface.The type of hepatitis is named for the virus that causes it, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C. Drug or alcohol use also can lead to hepatitis, and some cases are caused by the body mistakenly attacking its own tissues, but those are not the most common causes.
Hepatitis does not always occur with symptoms, but when it does they include loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and jaundice.
Ebola
Ebola virus has been found in African monkeys, chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates. A milder strain of Ebola has been discovered in monkeys and pigs in the Philippines.
Experts suspect that both viruses are transmitted to humans through an infected animal’s bodily fluids
Infected people typically don’t become contagious until they develop symptoms. Family members are often infected as they care for sick relatives or prepare the dead for burial.
Medical personnel can be infected if they don’t use protective gear, such as surgical masks and gloves. However, there is no evidence that Ebola virus can be spread via insect bites.
Staph infection
MRSA is a staph infection that is typically spread by direct contact with someone’s skin infection or their personal items, such as towels or razors. In health care settings, MRSA can cause severe and potentially life-threatening infections, such as bloodstream infections. However, in community settings, such as locker rooms, most MRSA infections are skin infections that manifest as swollen and painful red bumps on the skin.
Herpes
A contagious virus called herpes simplex type 1 causes cold sores; more than half the world’s population is affected by type 1 herpes virus by their 20s. Some people have no symptoms of the infection, while others develop painful cold sores on the lips, chin, cheeks, or nostrils – or less commonly on the gums or the roof of the mouth – that can last a week or longer.
The lesions can also appear on the genital area. Another herpes simplex virus known as herpes simplex type 2 spreads by sexual contact and typically affects the genital area.
Chicken pox
VZV causes chickenpox and shingles. Someone with chickenpox or shingles can pass VZV to someone who has never had chickenpox, but they cannot cause a person to develop shingles. You can’t “catch” shingles from someone else. Shingles can occur only when the VZV is reactivated, usually years after a person has had chickenpox.
Cold/Flu
A person with a cold is most contagious in the first two to three days and usually is not contagious at all by the seventh to 10th day. Symptoms usually begin within those first two or three days of “catching” a cold, but it can take as long as seven to 10 days for the symptoms to go away.
If you have cold, stay away from public places, work and cover your nose when you sneeze.
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by viral or bacterial infections that commonly cause routine illnesses. Most occur from viral infections that are contagious and spread via drops of fluid from the throat and nose of someone who is infected that become airborne when the person coughs, laughs, talks, or sneezes.
Bacterial meningitis is usually more severe than viral meningitis. It can be life threatening and can have serious aftereffects, such as brain damage, hearing loss, limb amputation, or learning disabilities. Vaccines are available for several of the causes of bacterial meningitis.
HIV/AIDS
Four types of bodily fluids can transmit HIV: blood, semen, breast milk, and vaginal secretions. HIV does not survive well outside the body, so the virus is not likely to be transmitted through the environment. There’s no documented instance of anyone being infected with HIV by contact with an environmental surface.
However, condoms must be used when you have multiple sex partners. Avoid sharing sharp objects with anyone whether they are infected or not.
If someone in your household has a common cold or other contagious bug, you can take some precautions to keep catchy infections from taking over your home. Here are some “stay-well” strategies to prevent illness and keep catchy infections contained.
Six prevention strategies
Preventing any illness, including the common cold, begins with the following six basic prevention strategies:
Think of hand washing as a survival skill
Never touch your mouth, nose, or eyes without washing your hands.
Teach your kids not to share food and other things that go in the mouth, as in guzzling milk from the carton or double dipping chips.
Encourage family members to cover their mouths with a tissue when they cough or sneeze and to dispose of the tissue themselves. No time to grab a tissue? Cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow instead of your hands.
Avoid sharing personal items like toiletries, towels, and pillows.
Get proper rest and good nutrition to improve resistance and bolster immunity.
“Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver, and it is also the name of a family of viral infections that affect the liver. It is one of the most infectious diseases in the world. The virus is still active seven days after it has contacted a surface.The type of hepatitis is named for the virus that causes it, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C. Drug or alcohol use also can lead to hepatitis, and some cases are caused by the body mistakenly attacking its own tissues, but those are not the most common causes.
Hepatitis does not always occur with symptoms, but when it does they include loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and jaundice.
Ebola
Ebola virus has been found in African monkeys, chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates. A milder strain of Ebola has been discovered in monkeys and pigs in the Philippines.
Experts suspect that both viruses are transmitted to humans through an infected animal’s bodily fluids
Infected people typically don’t become contagious until they develop symptoms. Family members are often infected as they care for sick relatives or prepare the dead for burial.
Medical personnel can be infected if they don’t use protective gear, such as surgical masks and gloves. However, there is no evidence that Ebola virus can be spread via insect bites.
Staph infection
MRSA is a staph infection that is typically spread by direct contact with someone’s skin infection or their personal items, such as towels or razors. In health care settings, MRSA can cause severe and potentially life-threatening infections, such as bloodstream infections. However, in community settings, such as locker rooms, most MRSA infections are skin infections that manifest as swollen and painful red bumps on the skin.
Herpes
A contagious virus called herpes simplex type 1 causes cold sores; more than half the world’s population is affected by type 1 herpes virus by their 20s. Some people have no symptoms of the infection, while others develop painful cold sores on the lips, chin, cheeks, or nostrils – or less commonly on the gums or the roof of the mouth – that can last a week or longer.
The lesions can also appear on the genital area. Another herpes simplex virus known as herpes simplex type 2 spreads by sexual contact and typically affects the genital area.
Chicken pox
VZV causes chickenpox and shingles. Someone with chickenpox or shingles can pass VZV to someone who has never had chickenpox, but they cannot cause a person to develop shingles. You can’t “catch” shingles from someone else. Shingles can occur only when the VZV is reactivated, usually years after a person has had chickenpox.
Cold/Flu
A person with a cold is most contagious in the first two to three days and usually is not contagious at all by the seventh to 10th day. Symptoms usually begin within those first two or three days of “catching” a cold, but it can take as long as seven to 10 days for the symptoms to go away.
If you have cold, stay away from public places, work and cover your nose when you sneeze.
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by viral or bacterial infections that commonly cause routine illnesses. Most occur from viral infections that are contagious and spread via drops of fluid from the throat and nose of someone who is infected that become airborne when the person coughs, laughs, talks, or sneezes.
Bacterial meningitis is usually more severe than viral meningitis. It can be life threatening and can have serious aftereffects, such as brain damage, hearing loss, limb amputation, or learning disabilities. Vaccines are available for several of the causes of bacterial meningitis.
HIV/AIDS
Four types of bodily fluids can transmit HIV: blood, semen, breast milk, and vaginal secretions. HIV does not survive well outside the body, so the virus is not likely to be transmitted through the environment. There’s no documented instance of anyone being infected with HIV by contact with an environmental surface.
However, condoms must be used when you have multiple sex partners. Avoid sharing sharp objects with anyone whether they are infected or not.
If someone in your household has a common cold or other contagious bug, you can take some precautions to keep catchy infections from taking over your home. Here are some “stay-well” strategies to prevent illness and keep catchy infections contained.
Six prevention strategies
Preventing any illness, including the common cold, begins with the following six basic prevention strategies:
Think of hand washing as a survival skill
Never touch your mouth, nose, or eyes without washing your hands.
Teach your kids not to share food and other things that go in the mouth, as in guzzling milk from the carton or double dipping chips.
Encourage family members to cover their mouths with a tissue when they cough or sneeze and to dispose of the tissue themselves. No time to grab a tissue? Cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow instead of your hands.
Avoid sharing personal items like toiletries, towels, and pillows.
Get proper rest and good nutrition to improve resistance and bolster immunity.
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