You can catch some diseases simply by breathing. These are called airborne diseases. Airborne disease can spread when people with certain infections cough, sneeze, or talk, spewing nasal and throat secretions into the air. Some viruses or bacteria take flight and hang in the air or land on other people or surfaces. When you breathe in airborne pathogenic organisms, they take up residence inside you. You can also pick up germs when you touch a surface that harbors them, and then touch your own eyes, nose, or mouth. Because these diseases travel in the air, they’re hard to control. Keep reading to learn more about the common types of airborne diseases and what you can do to protect yourself from catching them. A rapidly spreading coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has been responsible for millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths globally in 2020. Information on coronavirus and COVID-19 is constantly being updated as a result. While the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is not generally considered to be airborne, there may be some situationsTrusted Source in which the virus can act like an airborne disease. These include certain clinical settings in which people are receiving intensive medical treatment. In usual situations, SARS-CoV-2 is spread through respiratory droplets after a person coughs or sneezes, but these droplets are larger than what is considered airborne. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. If you experience these symptoms, see a doctor immediately.

Most of us have some experience with the flu. It spreads so easily because it’s contagious about a day before you notice the first symptoms. It remains contagious for another 5 to 7 days. If you have a weakened immune system for any reason, you can spread it to others longer than that. There are many strains of the flu, and they are constantly changing. That makes it difficult for your body to develop immunities. Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. If you have chickenpox, you can spread it for a day or two before you get the telltale rash. It takes up to 21 days after exposure for the disease to develop. Most people get chickenpox only once, and then the virus goes dormant. Should the virus reactivate later in life, you get a painful skin condition called shingles. If you haven’t had chickenpox, you can contract it from someone with shingles.

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