Is my skin rash contagious?

Introduction

Whether a rash is contagious or not can often not be clearly determined at first glance. If the rash is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, it is usually contagious. Specific symptoms that point to the respective disease can then be a clue. If the rash is caused by an allergic reaction, it is not contagious. You should consult a doctor for final certainty.

How can I tell if my rash is contagious?

Often rashes near the genital area are contagious. Some signs may indicate a possible risk of infection:

  • General symptomsOften rash is not the only symptom of a disease. Numerous other complaints can accompany it.

    “Alarm signals” for infectious skin rashes can be, for example, fever or cold symptoms (see: Skin rash after fever). Fever is a natural defence reaction of our body and a sign of an increased immune defence. In the case of bacterial or viral infection, fever and skin rash can occur together.

    Typical diseases include scarlet fever, measles, shingles, rubella, chickenpox and three-day fever. Fortunately, some of these diseases are rarely observed since the introduction of appropriate vaccinations. Bacterial or viral skin rashes are often accompanied by cold symptoms.

    A cold, sore throat, cough or headache can be an indication of an infectious skin rash. This is particularly the case with rubella, which is accompanied by a characteristic skin rash.

Fungal diseases of the skin are not a uniform group, but a collective term for various clinical pictures. Nevertheless, the skin rash they cause is in many cases contagious.

The most common skin fungus is the tinea corporis. You can recognize the disease by roundish skin changes with scaling, redness or small pustules (see: Skin rash with pustules). The rash can occur all over the body and cause severe itching.

It is often transmitted from pets to humans. In principle, however, the rash can also be transmitted from person to person. Special care should be taken when sharing towels, brushes or combs.

This is because the skin fungus can also spread via this route and infect other people. Therapeutically, the infectious skin rash can be controlled well with a so-called antimycotic ointment or solution. Extremely common is the tinea pedis, better known as athlete’s foot.

It is the most common fungal disease in humans. Especially between the toes, but also on the sole of the foot, a skin rash can be observed. Typically, the athlete’s foot is characterized by redness, scaling and itching.

Especially in swimming pools, public showers or saunas, it is relatively easy to get infected with the fungus. Therefore always wear bathing shoes. Syphilis is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse (see: transmission of syphilis).

In Germany, the number of reported cases has been increasing continuously for several years, so that currently about 3000-3500 people per year fall ill in Germany. Untreated syphilis progresses in three stages. All three stages are accompanied by a typical skin rash: Stage 1:Two to three weeks after infection, a so-called primary effect develops at the point of entry of the bacteria.

In most cases, a small, painless wound in the area of the penis or labia can be observed. More rarely, a rash is found on the fingers, anus or in the mouth. The escaping, clear liquid is highly infectious.

Stage 2: Symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache and swelling of the lymph nodes. Typical, however, is a non-itching skin rash on the trunk, palms of the hands and soles of the feet. In addition, genital skin symptoms similar to genital warts may occur.

The rash in stage 2 of syphilis is highly contagious. Stage 3: The pathogens have now spread throughout the whole body. Characteristic are rubbery, hardened knots in and on the body.

If they burst open, an inflammatory secretion emerges. Three-day fever is a highly contagious, but in principle rather harmless initial infection with the herpes virus 6 or 7. It mainly affects infants and small children.

It is named after a fever that lasts for about 3-5 days and ends abruptly.Subsequently, affected children suffer from a fine-spotted skin rash (see: Rash with a three-day fever). The rash is often visible for only a few hours, but for a maximum of 3 days. Nevertheless, the three-day fever is still contagious afterwards.

Typically, children between the ages of 5 and 15 fall ill with the mostly harmless rubella. In a large number of cases, the infection with the parvovirus B19 proceeds without symptoms. If the disease nevertheless manifests itself, affected children suffer from a typical skin rash.

It begins with a reddening of the face, leaving the cheeks open. In the vernacular, this is sometimes referred to as a “slap rash”. In the course of the disease, red spots and papules spread over the entire body like garlands. Interestingly enough, the rubella ringlets are already no longer contagious at the time of the rash. Once suffered through, there is lifelong immunity, so that the disease occurs only once in a lifetime.