What I read from most of the comments that we are aware of our children spreading cold and flu when they are sick. So why don't parents put face masks on their kids instead of letting them sneeze and cough freely? I know from my kids that they do not cover their mouth every time. So I put soft masks on their faces to cover their mouth when they are sick. They've learned to be aware of their condition and also know that by doing it they are respecting people around them. I think it is never too early to teach our kids social responsibility.
7
She may not be contagious if her symptoms are from allergies or some other long term non-infectious respiratory condition.
8
If you're symptomatic and have to go out in public, there's one very simple thing you can do to avoid making the people around you ill: wear a surgical mask. If you have the flu, doing so could save someone's life. I wish airlines would make masks available--by request--to anyone who might be ill at the start of a flight.
9
One of my friends who is retired had the flu and although she complained about how bad her symptoms were went to see movies etc because as she said "she couldn't stand just staying at home". I find that very inconsiderate, told her so and refused to see her although she declared herself no longer contagious after a few days. I also spent my winter telling people I was done with the kissing everybody that is customary in France till flu season was over.
14
There is a large population of people with allergic rhinitis from many categories seasonal, environmental exposure and chronic. The symptoms of coughing and sneezing will appear the same to someone in the vicinity but they of course are not contagious. Most people that are affected by allergies know the difference between some sort of viral infection and allergy. This article did not address this probability very well.
17
So why do some people exposed to a contagious person get sick, whereas others exposed to the same contagious person do not?
Since we have to keep going to work, shopping, and socializing where there are contagious people, it is important not to let yourself get run down physically or emotionally. This means take good care of yourself, and be nice to yourself.
Anyway, it is always nice to have an excuse to be kind to yourself, rather than beating up on yourself or being furious at others or a situation.
20
Thank you. I needed that.
2
The last line of this article seems like good advice, but also seems somewhat contrary to the line preceding it.
13
The author is saying that, even though the friend thinks she's in the recovery phase, there's no way for her to be sure and she might actually still be in the symptomatic/infectious phase.
6
It seems unrealistic a person suffering from an infection could actually be able to make an accurate diagnosis what stage the infection is in at any time it would be nothing bit a guess at best
15
I read something slightly different awhile back. It was that viruses are idiosyncratic and can have different spans of infectiousness, some being more contageous in the final stages of symptoms, others maybe for 24 hours, others for longer terms.Also, if someone develops a respiratory infection contingent to a virus they might be infectious for a much longer period.
6
Worse still, people going to the gym to "Work off" their illness. The gyms with saunas and steam rooms are the worst. I've picked so many colds and flu from those places i'v stopped going and work out with my own weight set and tread mill at home.
27
Even worse, people having to work because of a lack of sick days. No work=no pay!
27
Think of all those airlines that won't let you reschedule without hefty fees----Because of this more people will fly and spread germs when sick
69
That is true, those places are just a harbinger of micro organisms that cause infection they have to be scrubbed clean constantly I would guess most of them are not clean enough
4
the latest news i read regarding the norovirus is that it's still contagious from 5-7 days AFTER symptoms clear. You may be feeling better but you will pass it on to others. No wonder so many get sick on a cruise ship or in nursing homes.
17
Not to mention how long viruses can then last on surfaces, so even if you are not directly in front of a contagious person, you can still touch the same places they did and contract the illness. Better disinfecting of all types of places - schools, nursing homes, cruise ships are needed.
5
Surfaces: That is exactly why good and frequent hand washing is so important. Most people do not wash their hands properly.
3
You’re worried? Don’t enter an elevator with school children.
It’s those sweet little monsters who are the culprits.
Father of four.
36
Credit for recognizing this.
I have to say I'm exasperated by the number of parents who come into my workplace sick, reasoning that because their kids are going through that phase where they pick up everything and pass it onto them, that the rest of us should just accept getting their illness as well.
And I work in a place with very generous paid sick leave and the possibility to work from home.
12
Transmission is further complicated by such factors as who you have contact with and which virus those people have. There are hundreds of strains of cold viruses, and you have probably acquired immunity to many of them.
When I was stationed in Turkey, I may have been immune to the viruses we had floating around our isolated base on the Black Sea. But it seemed that every time I traveled to Germany, I would catch a cold. While not as isolated here in Oregon, I may be fine til the nieces and nephews from other states visit. Then I will often get a cold.
15
that immunity is temporary regarding the common cold. It's called "mutation". Cold viruses rapidly mutate so your past defenses are useless. So much for your theories.
6
I wish we could get all pastors, priests, rabbi's and imams to URGE their congregations NOT to shake hands during peak flu season.
65
Indeed, never. Bad custom.
9
even better- washing their hands. People are notoriously sloppy, rarely washing their hands; after using the toilet, removing their shoes, petting their pets, etc etc.
11
Removing their shoes? Shoe laces bear a lot of germs?
1
Do everyone a favor and don't come to work with a fever. But after that? Well we are all on our own.
You can continue to spread germs after recovery with a lot of viruses. Norovirus, which leaves us in gastrointestinal misery, can be still in your system for a week or two after you feel fine. Enteroviruses, which give us those nasty summer colds (polio is one of this group) are contagious both days before you show symptoms and days after.
So what to do? Try to live healthy, eat healthy, sleep well and wash your hands a lot. Get vaccines for whatever you can. And quit worrying about it. Being fatalistic is a lot better than going crazy about all those germs.
27
Except many employers, while not formally penalizing them, squeeze employees for using sick time. To prevent them from using sick days as vacation days, but still many places discipline for too many absences "regardless of cause", even if you have a doctors note.
Or, if you you can take a sick day, but no pay. Some people can't afford that, so work sick.
Need to change attitudes in society, but that is hard.
17
If you leave your house and/or interact with other human beings, you're going to get sick.
That's normal. It's okay. No need for a red alert.
Quit freaking out that your friends might be contagious. They are. It's called life. It's not 1480 any more; we have effective medicines these days.
And quit worrying about being contagious. Without a LOT of blood work, it's impossible to tell whether or not you're contagious on any given day. Don't kiss other people on the mouth or cough into their face and they'll be as fine as a person who has left the quarantine of their home can be.
All of this is a symptom of people with too much time and money on their idle hands and too little understanding of science. If you don't want to get sick, never leave your house. If you don't want to make others sick, never leave your house.
40
I have patients with chronic sinus problems and with asthma. Getting a cold, for them, is a big deal. It could end up with weeks and weeks of physician visits medications and even an ER visit. Also tens of thousands of people die from the flu each year. It’s not something to be so blithe about
62
It's not being blithe, it's the reality. Of course some people are more at risk than others, but we all live in the same cooty swamp and need to take precautions appropriate to our individual situation.
5
I have asthma and I teach public school where my system is bombarded probably daily with viruses and bacteria, so I understand the stakes of getting sick.
Still, getting all neurotic about getting sick to the point that someone is trying to calculate their contagion level (and that of others) is crazy and pointless.
11
People should sneeze into their elbows and not their hands which should be constantly washed period. People on airplanes should use masks if they find themselves continually getting sick after rotated air on flights. Always get a flu shot; absolutely no excuse not to. Stop shaking hands (especially during the flue season). I refrain from NY theaters during the winter as not to be crowd exposed. Most of this is common advice to avoid the flu.
35
I don't understand the incubation period being just a few hours for the common cold. When I get a cold, I can usually go back and figure how I got infected. It is 44 hours from when I first feel something in my throat, but aren't yet sure it is a cold. Then when I know it is a cold, it is 48 hours back. This is consistent.
17
The incubation period is the time before you feel that "something" in the throat. It takes a while to go from the beginning to the peak of the symptomatic phase, in your case 44 hours.
17
In truth, the same advice applies regardless of whether a person has symptoms or not. Since we cannot know when a person is in the incubation phase of an illness nor can we know if anyone with symptoms is truly past the infectious phase, good hand washing, keeping one's hands away from eyes, nose, and mouth are good advice for all.
Coughing or sneezing into the crook of the elbow instead of into the hands is also important for not spreading germs. I am uncertain why, but after an apparent uptick in this healthier method about 5 years ago, recently I see more and more folks (especially grade school kids) using their hands again. Do they no longer teach kids to use the elbow? It has become habit for me. It is certainly a good and simply to help keep from spreading illness.
48
Thank you thank you for reducing my guilt over being home for a second day with a cold.
58
Oh, abandon the guilt - consider the gift you are giving to others - contributing by keeping them well.
8
Note, however, for a non-respiratory virus like norovirus, you are quite contagious for a few days after your symptoms abate, - the "recovery period" we are used to with respiratory viruses is delayed by a "infectious with abated symptoms" period. The problem is that people with norovirus have usually been so afflicated that they are (too) eager to leave quarantine.
This is precisely why norovirus becomes so quickly spread (especially in workplaces and on cruises....)
Oh, another norovirus PSA: alcohol-based sanitizers are not effective - you need lipids (think soap) and friction and good rinsing.
58
When using the alcohol-based sanitizers, one is to rub and rub and rub all around, until the hands are completely dry.
2