“HIV is casually contagious between coworkers.”
Usage Entry 1077 / 1350 60-second read
Contagious vs. Infectious
Spread by contact versus spread by a pathogen (any route).
The comparisoni
“HIV is infectious but not casually contagious.”
The ruleii
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CONTAGIOUS = passed by contact. INFECTIOUS = caused by an infection.
All CONTAGIOUS diseases are INFECTIOUS, but not all infectious diseases are contagious. "Contagious" implies easy person-to-person spread; "infectious" just means caused by a pathogen.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Contagious = catch by touch. Infectious = caused by infection.