Bronchitis may be contagious depending on what’s causing it.
It can be contagious for several days to a week or more when the cause is bacterial or viral.
Verywell / Mira Norian
When Is Bronchitis Contagious?
Verywell / Mira Norian
Whether or not bronchitis is contagious depends on the underlying cause.
There are two maintypes of bronchitis:
Cases of chronic bronchitis are not likely to be contagious.
But without laboratory testing, it’s hard to know if an infection is viral or bacterial.
How Is It Spread?
Acute bronchitis is frequently due to the same viruses and bacteria that cause colds and the flu.
Bronchitis can also be a symptom of COVID-19, which is because of a coronavirus.
5 Symptoms of Bronchitis
Symptoms of bronchitisinclude:
How Long Is It Contagious?
Other symptoms may resolve, but you’ve got the option to develop a lingering cough.
Youll becontagious through the cold or flu sickness phase.
If viral bronchitis develops, you will likely be contagious for a few days to a week or longer.
Bacterial bronchitiscan turn into bacterial pneumonia.
The bacteria that cause bacterial bronchitis are usually the same ones that cause pneumonia:Streptococcus pneumoniaeandStaphylococcus aureus.
When Is Bronchitis Not Contagious?
Chronic bronchitis is not something that resolves in a few days.
These cases are not due to infections that can be passed from one person to the next.
Rather, they are due to exposuresespecially cigarette smokethat promote and sustain long-term inflammation of the airways.
Having another lung disease makes you more likely to develop chronic bronchitis.
In that case, the germ causing that acute infection may be contagious to others.
There are simple steps you’re free to take to avoid catching and spreading bronchitis.
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