Sinus infections themselves arent contagious, but the viruses that cause most of them are.
Viral sinus infections often follow colds orflu, which spread through respiratory droplets when someone coughs or sneezes.
You dont necessarily need to stay home with bacterial sinusitis, as these infections don’t spread throughrespiratory droplets.
Narisara Nami / Getty Images
Narisara Nami / Getty Images
Can You Catch a Sinus Infection?
No, you cannot directly catch a sinus infection from someone else.
Sinus infections are not contagious, but the viruses that can lead to sinus infections are.
Most sinus infections are resulting from viruses.
Bacterial sinusitis isn’t transmitted from person to person, either.
It usually develops from an overgrowth of the bacteria that are naturally found in your body.
It can also happen as a complication from another viral, allergic, orfungal infection.
What Causes Them?
A small number of sinus infections are resulting from bacteria.
Bacteria are normally present in the throat and nasal passages and are usually harmless.
These forms of sinusitis are not contagious.
Should You Stay Home?
Generally, if you have a fever, staying home is a good idea.
Ensure you are fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-lowering medications before venturing out in public.
If your sinus infection was sparked by a virus, you could spread the virus to others.
If you are not feeling well, practice extra caution around anyone who falls into these categories.
prevent spreading the virus to others.
Staying home will give your body a better chance to rest and recover.
How Long Are They Contagious?
However, it may be challenging to determine exactly when your sinusitis progressed fromviral to bacterial.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell the difference between a viral and bacterial infection.
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