Is a sinus infection contagious?
I unfortunately get lots of sinus infections, and ask this same question to my doc. He always tells me that the sinus infection itself is not contagious, but whatever caused it (virus, other illness) usually is.
I agree with Marda- if the sinus infection is a secondary infection after a virus, then the virus itself may be contagious. If it is a secondary infection from allergies (or something like a dental infection that spread), than neither the bacterial infection nor the allergies are typically contagious.
I suggest that although a sinus infection is likely to not be infectious but if you have a cold along with it the cold would still be infectious.
A sinus infection usually happens when a cold or flu virus, or a chronic allergy, has lowered your body's immunity and allowed bacteria to infect the sinuses.
The sinus infection itself isn't contagious like the flu or a cold, but if the infection was caused by a cold or the flu then you can still spread the cold or flu bug. In addition, a sinus infection can mean sneezing, coughing, and lots of dirty tissues, which helps spread flu or cold bugs as well.
A sinus infection is NOT contagious.
You can get a sinus infection from a cold or flu virus, which is contagious.
You can help yourself by using the neti-pot to cleanse your sinuses. I don't use the "pot" I use the plunger one as I feel the pot is way to messy.
Stop sniffing and blow your nose...get the gunk out of your sinuses.
Good luck!
Usually not except in a few rare instances.
No, not in the sense of it being airborne if you are near someone. One of the reasons it's so painful is that everything is stuck up in there to begin with! If you are able to blow your nose and get rid of some of the junk, then the tissue would have germs and you should follow good hand washing techniques. Once you're on antibiotics for 24 hours anyway, most infections are not contagious and kids can go back to school, etc.
A neti pot can help clean out the sinuses but it does nothing for the infection itself, other than make drainage improve. The antibiotics are needed to get the bacteria under control after they've had a chance to multiply in that warm moist clogged area!
technically no (it resides inside your sinuses so isn't out there replicating itself) but in a more general and practical sense yes (or possibly) because if it stems from a bacterial source, THAT is infectious.
anyone sick from it should behave as if it's infectious and everyone should practice good hygiene.
khairete
S.
No, it's not. But get rid of it. I ended up having to have sinus surgery from a sinus infection that I couldn't get rid of. You don't want to have to go through that. Promise.
No
It's inside the body.
