When a person's sick, is your risk to their germs greater by exposure to their sweat/touching things or by their saliva/sneezing & coughing?

Saliva, mucous, all of that poses the greatest danger. Wet stuff.
It can get on anything.

They are still contagious usually when they start showing symptoms.

It depends on what they are sick with. Some illnesses are airborne. Some can survive outside the host and be spread through touching a doorknob or shopping cart handle. Some require direct contact with the person’s body. Others require an exchange of bodily fluids.

^That too.

It’s gotta be the snot.

@Marina beat me to the punch… i bow before your ginormous brain.

There are however Bee many diseases that are non communicable depending on the offending agent… anything from exposure to toxins or chemical substances can produce anything from skin sensiblization and dermatitis to respiratory symptoms akin to certain infections and are in no way contagious.

@asmonet
@Marina
@Dr_C

The bit about sweating (thinking common cold & flu stuff), is it a good idea to use a fresh body, hand towel and linens each day until you’re well again?

I don’t know what you’re supposed to do, but when I’m sick I use a new towel each day and keep it away from others. As for linens, I’m usually too tired to care. Unless you’re sleeping with someone else, I wouldn’t worry about it.

I’ve never heard of sweat transmitting anything. But, I wouldn’t use a towel of a sick person.

The easiest routes of transmission of disease is by breathing in the droplets of liquid expelled through sneezing/coughing and by contact with the surface of the eye.