Yes, you should generally stay home with a sore throat, especially if you have other symptoms like fever, cough, or fatigue, to avoid spreading contagious illnesses like COVID-19, flu, or strep throat; you're usually contagious until symptoms improve or you've been on antibiotics for about 24 hours (for strep), but listening to your body and resting is key for recovery.
Usually, a sore throat isn't a serious medical issue. Instead, it's typically an unpleasant sign that you're sick with a cold or the flu.
If a fever accompanies your sore throat, wait at least 24 hours until your fever is gone before you return to school or work. If you have been diagnosed with the flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends staying home for at least 4-5 days from the onset of symptoms.
To soothe a child's sore throat, offer plenty of fluids, soft foods like yogurt or soup, and cold treats like popsicles, while using pain relievers like children's ibuprofen or acetaminophen as directed (never aspirin for kids). For older kids (over 4), salt water gargles and lozenges help, and honey (over age 1) can soothe, but always ensure hydration, rest, and avoid smoke irritants, seeing a doctor for severe symptoms.
These symptoms, combined with others like a sore throat, fever and body aches, could mean you have a contagious illness like the flu (influenza), COVID-19 or a common cold. If you're spreading germs, you're not helping anyone. Stay home from work to prevent others from getting sick.
If your symptoms are mild and above the neck — for example, a runny nose and sore throat — you might be OK to do things like exercise, but work could still be risky if you have contact with other people, as you may be contagious (more on this below).
Stage 1 of a sore throat, often the start of a cold or flu, involves early symptoms like a tickle, scratchiness, or mild pain in the throat, possibly with sneezing, usually appearing 1-3 days after infection, and can be managed with rest, fluids, saltwater gargles, and OTC pain relievers, but see a doctor if it's severe, lasts over a week, or comes with a high fever or trouble breathing.
Two different germs cause sore throats – viruses and bacteria. They are both contagious and easily spread to others. The germs hang out in the nose and throat. When the infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, the germs go into the air.
How to sleep with sore throats
All employees should stay home if they are sick until for at least 24 hours, both are true: their symptoms are getting better overall and they have not had a fever* (temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher) and are not using fever-reducing medication (e.g., medicines that contain ...
Red flags for a sore throat that need urgent care include difficulty breathing or swallowing, severe pain (especially on one side), drooling, inability to open your mouth fully, stiff neck, confusion, high fever with shivering, dehydration signs, or blood in saliva, as these can signal serious issues like airway obstruction, severe infection, or rare conditions needing immediate attention. See a doctor if it lasts over a week, recurs often, or if you have night sweats, unexplained weight loss, or a weakened immune system.
Yes, sore throat and COVID are still closely associated, and a painful throat is often one of the first symptoms. However, COVID-19 is certainly not the only cause of sore throat, and it's not typically the primary complaint of people with COVID.
Stage 1: Days 1–3.
Your body reacts to the introduction of the virus—most commonly the rhinovirus—so you will feel a scratchy throat, body aches and fatigue.
A sore throat without other symptoms often comes from irritation, not infection. Common triggers include dry air, allergies, mouth breathing, or acid reflux. These usually cause mild discomfort that settles within a few days.
Many different viral illnesses can cause sore throat. Some common ones are rhinovirus (common cold), flu, adenovirus, and coronaviruses, like COVID-19. These typically lead to redness and rawness in the back of the throat. One virus that really mimics strep throat is the Epstein-Barr virus, the virus that causes mono.
You are vomiting and/or have diarrhea. You can't sleep due to your symptoms. Food is unappealing. You're running a fever.
While it may seem like a good idea to continue working, especially when your symptoms are mild, going to work when infectious with a respiratory virus risks infecting your co-workers. If you are in a client-facing role, such as a teacher or a salesperson, you may also infect others like students or customers.
Rest and sleep are the best ways to do that. Make sure you're sleeping between eight to 10 hours at night.
Any time your throat hurts due to infection, stay away from people. You may spread the illness. However, you may have a sore throat for another reason. In these cases, you're safe around other people, as your sore throat is not contagious.
Throat lozenges, numbing sprays, and ibuprofen work quickly to reduce symptoms.
A viral sore throat often comes with cold symptoms like a cough, runny nose, and hoarseness, while a bacterial one (strep throat) usually hits suddenly with severe pain, high fever, no cough, and white spots/pus on tonsils, but only a doctor's test (strep test) can confirm, as symptoms overlap and look similar.
A sore throat may be the first symptom of a mild illness, such as a cold or the flu, or of more severe illnesses, such as mononucleosis, strep throat or scarlet fever. A sore throat that comes on suddenly is called acute pharyngitis. It can be caused by bacteria or viruses.
Your body needs to battle what is ailing you. “Extra sleep can help your immune system function at its best and potentially shorten the duration of your illness,” says Heather Finn, MD, of Upstate Family and Preventive Medicine. “It can also help prevent you from becoming sick in the first place.”