Do you want those symptoms like sneezing, coughing, or having a headache from your colleague? Even if you can’t escape that, do you want to pass that on to your children? Obviously not. The obvious thing is when you see someone with such symptoms you’ll wonder, “Is a sinus infection contagious?” if this thing happened to you, then you’ll need to know the answer. And to know the answer you should take a look at below-
Is a sinus infection contagious?
As the signs of a sinus infection are almost similar to a common cold, most people believe that the sinus infection is contagious. But that’s not always the truth. A common cold usually occurs by a virus, but sinus infection has several different factors. That means it has a different spreadability. To know the proper answer you need to know the different types of sinus infections.
- If you got sinusitis from a virus or a viral cold turned into a sinus infection. In that case, the factor is the virus. And a virus can be spread from one person to another easily. That means this type of sinus infection can be contagious. But as you are only passing on the virus but not the infection itself, the other person may get only a cold but not the infection at all.
- When you have viral sinusitis, the sinus cavities get full of mucous. As the mucous get stuck and do not drain easily, bacteria can generate in those cavities. Then you’ll develop a secondary infection named bacterial sinusitis. As the bacteria generate in the blocked mucous, they don’t get out and spread easily. That’s why in this type of infection, you can not spread the infection. But some experts suggest that bacteria cause secondary infection; if the bacteria gets out of the body, it can spread and make the sinus infection contagious.
- The sinus cavities usually help the nose stop foreign pollutants from getting in. That’s why if the nostrils are not cleaned regularly, the allergens in the foreign particles can cause infection in the sinuses. Apart from that, if you have an addiction to smoking. Then you can easily be vulnerable to sinus infection. The smoke and the nicotine trigger the infection. But in these cases, there is nothing that you can spread to others. That’s why this type of sinus infection is not contagious.
- There is another factor for the sinuses to get infections. If any deviation in the nostril walls or any structural problem occurs, you can develop chronic sinusitis. Sometimes, the growth of polyps in the nostrils can cause sinusitis too. As there are also no viruses or bacteria involved in these cases, these sinus infections won’t be contagious.
Even if you know the symptoms properly, you won’t know the reason behind the infection. Even if it’s cold, you don’t know how long is a cold contagious. That’s why with these types of symptoms, you should keep a distance from others.
Conclusion
Now that you have read the article, what do you think? Are sinus infections contagious? Or is it just a myth that scares us all? If you are now certain about the fact, you should spread the knowledge. Everyone should stay clean and well-hygienic so that they don’t get any infections. If someone gets the infection then he should get the proper treatment to avoid any further complications.
