Can you catch a viral infection?

a baby has got a viral infection and i have been around the baby could i catch it?

Let's start with a medically well-known fact: viruses aren't themselves alive. They are smaller and simpler than bacteria and by themselves they are inert and harmless. So, the immediate question then has to be: How can you "catch" a virus if it isn't a living thing?

The answer is: You can't.

Experimenters have incubated viruses for the common cold, placed them directly on the mucous lining of the nose, and found that their subjects came down with colds only 12% of the time. These odds could not be increased by exposing the subjects to cold drafts, putting their feet in ice water to give them chills, or anything else that was purely physical.

MUCH more at web page ...

Yes you could. A viral infection (colds are viral infections) is an infection caused by a virus. It's different from a bacterial infection, which is caused by bacteria (antibiotics are only effective on bacterial infections).

The best way to prevent catching the viral infection is to wash your hands often with plain soap and water. Antibacterial soap is not beneficial.

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　　Insect Bites 　　Inhalants 　　Influenza 　　Inflammatory Bowel Disease 　　Infertility 　　Infectious Diseases 　　Infections Viral 　　Infections Fungal 　　Infections Bladder 　　Infections Bacterial 　　Infection Control 　　Indigestion 　　Incontinence

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