You are contagious with a cold starting about 1 to 2 days before your symptoms appear and remain contagious as long as your symptoms persist. This contagious period usually lasts about a week but can extend up to two weeks in some cases, especially for children or people with weakened immune systems
. Key points:
- Contagious 1-2 days before symptoms start.
- Most contagious during the first 3 days when symptoms are worst.
- Can remain contagious for the entire duration of symptoms, typically 7 to 10 days.
- In rare cases, contagiousness may last up to 2 weeks.
- Children and those with weakened immune systems may be contagious longer
To reduce spreading the cold virus, it is advised to stay home during the first few days of symptoms, practice good hand hygiene, and avoid close contact with others until symptoms improve
. After symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours and no fever is present, you are generally less contagious, but precautions for up to 5 days after symptom improvement can further reduce transmission risk
