Here's How To Tell If You're Still Contagious After Being Sick

Experts reveal the signs that you're no longer at risk of spreading illnesses like COVID, flu and strep throat to others.

Getting sick leading up to the holidays brings its own set of headaches. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be worried about transmitting your illness to your loved ones for fear of ruining their festive season. It’s a time of gatherings with friends and family ― people generally want to spend it in good health.

When I fall ill and start getting dreaded symptoms, I spend a lot of time researching exactly when I will be recovered enough to catch up with my friends and family again. In other words, when will I stop being contagious? How convenient it would be, I’ve often thought, if there were a “cheat sheet” of this information for the most common winter infections.

If you’ve recently gotten ill and are wishing for the same guidance, keep reading. The advice below will help you gauge whether you’re still contagious, and give you tips on how to protect the people around you from catching the sickness too.

Flu

When people contract the flu, they “get sick fairly quickly. They feel fine in the morning, and by afternoon they’re suddenly pretty sick,” said Dr. Marlene Millen, a board-certified internal medicine doctor and primary care physician at UC San Diego Health.