An expert has revealed how long you are likely to be contagious and potentially spread infection if you have any of the winter illnesses currently circulating in the UK. The has warned that hospitals could experience a “quademic” of illness over the festive period due to high cases of , flu, norovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
However, with some of these illnesses producing similar symptoms, it can be difficult to know exactly what you’ve got.
It is also difficult to know exactly how long you remain contagious for following your infection – meaning you could risk passing it on to others.
With this in mind, one expert shared how long you should try to isolate yourself for if you have any of these illnesses.
Doctor Carla Garcia Carreno, director of infection prevention and control at the Children’s Medical Centre Plano, spoke to to explain more.
The NHS has warned of a ‘quademic’ of illnesses this winter (Image: Getty)
Covid
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that people with -19 can be infectious from one to two days before and up to eight to 10 days after symptoms begin. It says: “The majority of transmission appears to occur during the early periods of infection, particularly in the one to two days before symptoms start and within the first few days of symptom onset.”
The NHS lists symptoms of as:
- A high temperature or shivering (chills)
- A new, continuous cough
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- An aching body
- A headache
- A sore throat
- A blocked or runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea
- Feeling sick or being sick.
However, infected people without symptoms can also transmit the virus. The CDC advises ending isolation if you have been fever-free for 24 hours and have improved symptoms.
“Once the person is fever-free for 24 hours without the use of any fever-reducing medicines like ibuprofen, they should be a little bit out of the woods … but also your respiratory symptoms need to be improving,” Dr Garcia Carreno added.
But you should still take precautions to keep others safe. She continued: “For example, try to social distance from others, and, if possible, wear a mask. That’s usually recommended for an additional five-day period.”
In the UK, self-isolation is no longer mandatory. The NHS recommends you try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you or your child have symptoms and either:
- Have a high temperature
- Do not feel well enough to go to work, school, childcare, or do your normal activities.
It says: “You can go back to your normal activities when you feel better or do not have a high temperature.” But if you have taken a test that comes back positive, the NHS says you should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days.
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Vomiting is one symptom of norovirus (Image: Getty)
Flu
The CDC warns that people are “most contagious” during the first three days of their illness. “Some people, including young children and people with weakened immune systems may be contagious for longer periods of time,” it says.
Flu can cause:
- A sudden high temperature
- An aching body
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- A dry cough
- A sore throat
- A headache
- Difficulty sleeping
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea or tummy pain
- Feeling sick and being sick.
Similar to its advice, the health body says you can return to normal after being fever-free for 24 hours without medication and have improved symptoms.
Norovirus
Also known as viral gastroenteritis, people with norovirus will get better within one to three days – but they can still spread the virus to others for days after.
The CDC says: “You can still spread norovirus for two weeks or more after you feel better.” Symptoms can include:
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Diarrhoea
- Being sick (vomiting)
- A high temperature
- A headache
- Aching arms and legs.
Dr Garcia Carreno further explained: “It’s also very contagious, but it’s more contagious via vomiting and diarrhoea, so it’s through faecal (and) oral (transmission). So hand washing is really important, and it’s important to say that usually we need bleach products for norovirus to be inactivated.”
If you live with someone who has norovirus, Dr Garcia Carreno advised sterilising or decontaminating the bathroom that person used and avoiding sharing cups and utensils with others to prevent both gastrointestinal and respiratory viruses.
RSV
According to the CDC, people with RSV are usually contagious for three to eight days, according to the CDC. They may also become contagious a day or two before they start showing symptoms.
RSV symptoms include:
- A runny or blocked nose
- A cough
- Sneezing
- Tiredness
- A high temperature – signs include your back or chest feeling hotter than usual, sweatiness and shivering (chills)
- A cough that gets worse
- Shortness of breath
- Faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
- Difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
- Noisy breathing (wheezing)
- Confusion (in older adults).
The same CDC guidelines for and flu also apply to RSV – people can end isolation after being fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicines and have improved symptoms.