The common cold can make your day a little tough, and if you spread it around the office, it can make your colleagues days a little tougher as well. So how long is a cold contagious and how long should you avoid the break room while you have one?
There are dozens of viruses that cause a cold. You can catch a cold when someone who is sick breathes on you, shakes your hand after coughing, or shares a utensil or a cup with you. Cold symptoms include coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, and a runny nose.
A cold can be contagious for a couple of days to several weeks, depending on the severity of your symptoms. Doctors suspect you are contagious as long as your symptoms are present—so as long as you’re sneezing or coughing, it’s possible you could pass on your cold to someone else.
Since a cold is caused by a virus, it can’t be treated by antibiotics. You simply have to wait it out. You can help treat the symptoms of a cold with over-the-counter products like acetaminophen, aspirin and other types of medicines. Just be careful to follow the directions and don’t take too much.
Occasionally, a cold can turn into a bacterial infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics. If your cold gets worse or lasts longer than a couple of weeks, see a doctor to get checked out.
You can avoid getting a cold by washing your hands frequently and not touching your mouth or face. If you have a cold, you can help keep from spreading it by washing your hands frequently, coughing into your arm instead of your hands, and not sharing utensils with others.
So how long is a cold contagious? It can be anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks, depending on how long your symptoms are there. If you’re sick and have to go to work, just show courtesy and use the tips mentioned above.