When are you no longer contagious with influenza a?

Ah, influenza. The infamous virus that never fails to ruin our plans – whether it be a date night or just a simple trip to the grocery store. It’s highly contagious and can make even the toughest of us bedridden for days. But have you ever wondered when exactly are you no longer contagious with influenza A? Fear not, dear reader, for I am here to answer this burning question in all its serious sarcastic glory.

First things first – what is influenza A?

Before we dive into the meaty details of contagion periods and such, let’s first establish what exactly influenza A is. In simpler terms, it’s basically just your good ol’ seasonal flu caused by none other than the types of viruses that belong to the family Orthomyxoviridae (say that three times fast). These viruses affect different animal species as well as humans and can cause mild to severe symptoms ranging from fevers and coughs to body aches and congestion.

Fun fact: Did you know that there are actually four known subtypes of influenza A virus? H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, and more recently discovered H17 & H18! The more you know…

How long are you infectious with Influenza-A?

Okay now on to business. According to those fancy-schmancy doctors at the Center for Disease Control (CDC), people infected with any subtype of flu virus including ‘ol maestro himself – Mr.Influenza-A become contagious 1 day before their symptoms start up until about 7 days after becoming sick.

However,
for those unlucky souls who may be immunocompromised or fall under higher risk categories such young children / babies, elderly adults over sixty-five years old or individuals suffering from chronic illnesses like asthma or COPD, then the above window increases to a maximum of 10 days.

But we’re not here to dwell on depressing facts so instead let’s make use of tables (because who doesn’t love a clean layout?) and illustrate this information in an easy-to-understand manner:

Group Contagious Period
Regular / Healthy Adults 1 day before symptoms develop up till 7-ish days after
High Risk Up to ten whole days post-symptoms

What about antiviral medication?

If you are one of those lucky individuals who was quick enough to seek medical assistance once you realized that your sniffles weren’t just from dust mites – then chances are your doctor even recommended some sort of antiviral treatment. Antiviral medications like Tamiflu or Rapivab have proven somewhat effective in reducing flu symptoms and possibly shortening the length of time someone is infectious too. These can be prescribed by doctors or other health professionals in high risk cases, such as patients admitted into hospital with severe respiratory illnesses or other complicated conditions..

For us common folk if caught early enough they may result in a slightly shorter infectious period although CDC clarifies that more studies need carry out further studies.

Don’t pass it on!

At the end of the day, no matter how long someone is contagious for it always pays off bigly (thanks Trump) to take precautions when dealing with people who might be infected with influenza A or any virus for that matter:

  • Wash hands regularly while singing “happy birthday” twice through (fyi: googling song lyrics counts)
  • Covering mouth and nose while wiping snot rockets away
  • Social distancing at least six feet apart where possible

And last but not least don’t spread germs c’mon man!

(phew finally done)

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