Sick With A Cold Or Flu? Here's How Long You're Contagious For.

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HOW LONG WILL YOU BE CONTAGIOUS WITH A COLD OR FLU?

For colds: The rate of contagion usually corresponds to the intensity of your symptoms. Once they start to go down, you become less contagious, though the risk of spreading the virus still exists. Most people have a cold from between 3 and 10 days, so you could be contagious at any time during that period. There are multiple viral strains that provoke cold symptoms, and unfortunately the body can't build up its defenses against all of them simultaneously. That makes all of us more vulnerable to the common cold when we're around those infected with it.

For the Flu: The flu is highly contagious, and "viral shedding" occurs within 2 to 3 days of contracting the virus. Most people have the flu from between 2 and 10 days, and you can be contagious throughout the entire time symptoms are present. Unfortunately, the flu is also a type of virus that constantly evolves, which is why you might come down with it every year (it's rare to be faced with the same flu twice).