The flu virus becomes contagious one day before you feel sick. The virus enters through your nose, throat, or lungs from the air. It then begins to multiply, usually causing symptoms within a day or two. Children, on the other hand, can pass the virus on for more than a week. You can contract the flu if you touch a surface that has the flu virus on it and then touch your nose or mouth. See similar questions...

The avian influenza virus must change. The virus can change to become more contagious among humans in two ways. The first is a "reassortment" event, in which genetic material is exchanged between human and avian viruses during co-infection of a human or pig. Reassortment could result in a fully contagious pandemic virus. See similar questions...

A: Ichthyosis is definitely not contagious. It is not caused by a bacteria, virus, or germs, and thus it cannot be passed from one person to another. See similar questions...

The period when an infected person is contagious depends on the age of the person. Adults may be contagious from one day prior to becoming sick and for three to seven days after they first develop symptoms. Some children may be contagious for longer than a week. See similar questions...

No, epilepsy is never contagious. You cannot catch epilepsy from someone else and nobody can catch it from you. See similar questions...

In many respects, yes. If you have one on your feet, it would be unwise to pick at it and it can spread to someone else if that person has the potential towards getting that virus in the same way certain people have the potential for catching a certain cold. The wart virus likes to linger around moist environments such as pools, spas, locker rooms, public showers (such as those at the gym). Wearing flip flops or crocs in these areas is always a good idea. See similar questions...

You are most contagious one day before your symptoms start and up to about seven days after their onset. You are most contagious earlier in your illness rather than later.* See similar questions...

No, Ginger Kids are born with Gingervitis. It is hereditary and cannot be contracted in any other way. See similar questions...

Yes. About 1% of the population carries MRSA on the skin – they are considered to be ‘colonized’ with MRSA and are generally asymptomatic. People who are exposed to the organism from a carrier generally do not get sick from it, or develop only mild illnesses (similar to normal staph infections). However, if a minor infection is not cared for, or if there are other factors (e.g., compromised immunity), then the infection may become more serious. See similar questions...

EMS is not a contagious disease. There should not be fears about that. Naturally, chronic diseases such as EMS may have profound effects upon close family members of the sick person and might contribute to feelings of depression, anxiety, problems with children accepting the illness, or other physical and emotional conditions in loved ones. But this occurs with any chronic illness that goes on for many years - which is what a chronic illness is, an ongoing one. See similar questions...

Vitiligo is NOT contagious. If it were, many more people in the world, including doctors who treat vitiligo and family members of those with vitiligo, would have the condition. There are many theories about what causes vitiligo, but many experts believe, and data supports the theory, that one must be genetically susceptible, in order to develop vitiligo. See similar questions...

While the exact cause of the disease is not known, what is known indicates that Parkinson's is not contagious. Parkinson's is a neurological, not a mental, disorder. In the majority of cases, it slows the body, not the mind. However, when brain cells are affected by medication, some emotional changes can be expected. Anxiety and depression are very common among people with Parkinson's and may occur due to seratonin imbalance, a side effect of certain medications. See similar questions...

No, it's important to note that BSE is not a contagious disease; spread occur through the ingestion of infected material, generally brain or spinal cord tissue. See similar questions...

No. Shingles occurs only when the virus that caused chicken pox, which has stayed in the body for many years, becomes active. You cannot get shingles from someone else. You can only get it from the varicella zoster virus in your own body. See similar questions...

Smallpox is less contagious than chickenpox or measles. The great majority of people in a large room will become infected if even only one person has measles, whereas the highest risk for smallpox is face-to face contact, i.e. within 2 meters (6.5 feet). If there is personal protective equipment (fit-tested N-95 masks, gloves, etc.) on you and the patient, the risk of airborne spread becomes very low. See similar questions...

Yes, definitely. But they can't jump from head to head and they can't fly. The only way they can be transmitted is by direct contact (heads touching) or indirect contact (a hat passed around which has been worn by a person with headlice). See similar questions...

The flu can lead to pneumonia and has been reported to have hospitalized 200,000 and killed 36,000 people each year. See similar questions...