Preventing spread of respiratory viruses when you're sick
Photo courtesy of CDC.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
When you think you may have a respiratory virus, meaning you have symtoms of a respiratory virus that aren't better explained by another cause, stay home and away from others, including people you live with who are not sick. These symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.
• You can go back to your normal activities when:
* Your symptoms are better and
* You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours, and you are not using fever-reducing medication.
• When you go back to your normal activities, take precautions during the next 5 days when you will be around other people indoors, such as taking steps for cleaner air, using good hygiene, wearing a mask, keeping a physical distance from other people, and/or submitting to testing.
* Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better. You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors, like how long you were sick or how sick you were.
* If you develop a fever, or you start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again - until, for at least 24 hours, your symptoms are improving and you have not had a fever and you are not using fever-reducing medication. Then use precautions during the next 5 days when you will be around other people indoors, such as taking steps for cleaner air, using good hygiene, wearing a mask, keeping a physical distance from other people, and/or submitting to testing.
What to know
• Taking steps to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses when you are sick is a core prevention strategy to lower risk from respiratory viruses.
• Core prevention strategies are important steps you can take to protect yourself and others from respiratory viruses.
If you've never had symptoms, but tested positive for a respiratory virus, you may be contagious. For the next 5 days when you will be around other people indoors, take steps for cleaner air, use good hygiene, wear a mask, keep a physical distance from other people, and/or submitting to testing. This is especially important to protect people with factors that increase their risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses.
How it works
When you have a respiratory virus infection, you can spread it to others. How long someone can spread the virus depends on different factors, including how sick they are (the severity of the illness) and how long their illness lasts (the duration of the illness). This is not the same for everyone.
When, for at least 24 hours, your symptoms are getting better overall and you have not had a fever and are not using fever-reducing medication, you are typically less contagious, but it still takes more time for your body to fully get rid of the virus. During this time, you may still be able to spread the virus to others. Taking precautions for the next 5 days can help reduce this risk. After this 5-day period, you are typically much less likely to be contagious. However, some people, especially people with weakened immune systems, can continue to spread the virus for a longer period of time. For COVID-19, taking an antigen test can help you know how likely you are to spread the virus. A positive test tends to mean it is more likely that you can spread the virus to others.
Steps you can take
Individuals can
• Consider using additional prevention tools, such as taking steps for cleaner air, being diligent about hygiene, and using masks when you’re home sick to protect others in your home. This can be especially helpful if you do not have space at home to stay entirely away from others.
• Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (like trouble breathing or chest pain), seek emergency medical care immediately.
Organizations can
• Advise people to stay home if they are sick.
• Provide employees with paid time off and develop flexible leave and telework policies to support workers to stay home if sick or to care for sick family members.
• Adopt flexible cancellation or refund policies for customers who are sick.
*Symptoms may include, but are not limited to, chest discomfort, chills, cough, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, fatigue (tiredness), fever or feeling feverish, headache, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, vomiting, weakness, wheezing.
For information about respiratory viruses visit www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/guidance/respiratory-virus-guidance.html.