Is Angina Contagious To Others: Children, Adults, Pregnant Women

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Is angina contagious to others: ways of infection, prevention

The content of the article:

Infection routes
Factors affecting infection with angina
How many days is sore throat contagious
How to treat a sore throat
How not to get sore throat
Video

Is angina contagious to others? This question was asked by almost every person, in whose environment a patient with severe symptoms of the disease appeared. How to protect yourself and children from illness, and how effective are prevention methods?

Angina is an infectious disease, its pathogen can be transmitted from person to person in different ways

Angina is an infectious disease in which the tonsils of the pharyngeal ring are affected by an inflammatory process. It is characterized by redness and swelling of the mucous membrane, sore throat, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.

The tonsils are composed of lymphoid tissue and air and food that enter the body primarily comes into contact with them. Microorganisms that can cause inflammation in this area are quite large. These can be bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

The most common cause of the development of the disease is streptococcus

According to Dr. Komarovsky, in 80% of cases, the causative agent of angina is streptococcus, in 10% - staphylococcus, and in another 10% - streptococcus with staphylococcus together. The disease begins acutely, with high body temperature, inflammation of the tonsils and acute intoxication. Is purulent sore throat contagious? Yes, because disease-causing bacteria spreads quickly.

Angina is a contagious disease, since the pathogenic microbes that cause it are transmitted from person to person. If the immune system fails to deal with them, they invade tissues, causing inflammation.

Infection routes

There are several ways of infection, the main ones are:

airborne droplets. It is the most common way of transmission of pathogens from person to person. Microbes get into the air when you cough, sneeze or talk and, under favorable conditions, droplets of moisture flying in the air can survive for several hours, depending on the humidity and temperature in the room;
contact path. A person can become infected with viruses or bacteria through direct contact: when kissing, shaking hands or using common household items and dishes.

In most cases, the causative agent of sore throat is transmitted by airborne droplets or by contact

Transport of pathogenic microbes inside the body is possible. Together with the flow of blood or lymph, they can enter the area of the pharyngeal ring from other foci of chronic infection (carious teeth, the area of the maxillary sinuses).

There can also be an oral-genital, perinatal, or birth route of transmission. In the first case, infection with rare forms of angina - chlamydial or gonococcal, usually occurs during sexual intercourse. Infection of a child with pathogenic bacteria can occur in utero or when passing through the birth canal.

Factors affecting infection with angina

It must be remembered that angina is, first of all, an infectious disease. But there are trigger factors that do not affect its development. These include:

frequent hypothermia;
eating cold foods or drinks;
living in ecologically unfavorable areas;
chronic or autoimmune diseases;
disturbances in the work of the endocrine system;
frequent visits to crowded places;
insufficient oral hygiene;
the presence of bad habits.

During pregnancy, the risk of contracting angina increases

Contact with the source of infection during pregnancy is especially dangerous, since the immune system does not work at full strength, and the risk of getting sick to the expectant mother significantly increases.

How many days is sore throat contagious

The incubation period after the entry of microbes into the body can last from several hours to 7 days. At this time, a person already begins to release pathogens into the environment.

With proper and timely treatment started, the disease can last from 4 days (with catarrhal sore throat) to 10 days (purulent form). During the acute period of the disease, after the symptoms have already begun to appear, the patient is extremely contagious. In the future, against the background of antibiotic treatment, the degree of risk decreases, but does not completely disappear.

It is possible to say that the patient is not contagious only after the full course of treatment has been completed and the signs of the disease are no longer present.

Often, with incorrect or untimely treatment started, the disease becomes chronic, and the affected tonsils remain a source of infection for a long time. Additional infection, hypothermia, or stress cause inflammation to worsen. In this case, they speak of an exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis, since infection from the outside does not occur. But during the period of exacerbation of the disease, a person remains a source of infection for others.

How to treat a sore throat

The medicine is selected depending on the type of disease, its course and the severity of the inflammatory process. With purulent sore throat, it is necessary to use antibiotics, since it is very difficult to get rid of the bacteria that cause the disease without these drugs. If you refuse to use antibacterial agents, then there is a very high probability that tonsillitis will become chronic or cause complications. Antibiotic therapy is carried out for 3-10 days, the duration of the course is determined by the drug and the severity of the disease.

Gargles have a good effect for any type of sore throat. The most effective and popular remedies include Chlorhexidine solution at a concentration of 0.02 or 0.05%. This antiseptic fights harmful bacteria and prevents their spread.

Before starting the procedure, rinse the throat with clean water. One tablespoon of the solution is enough for rinsing. 3-4 procedures are performed per day. Stop using the medicine after the illness has subsided.

How not to get sore throat

In order to prevent the development of the disease, you must follow the precautions:

observe the rules of personal hygiene, be sure to wash your hands, and if it is not possible to do this, they can be treated with an antiseptic;
regularly ventilate the premises in order to avoid the accumulation of pathogens. This is especially true when you have to work in crowded places;
the air in an apartment or office should not be too dry and warm, as this causes the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract to dry out and impair local immunity. A humidifier can be used for this purpose;
regularly carry out wet cleaning in the apartment, this will help to avoid the accumulation of dust;
drink enough liquid. Tea with lemon, mineral water without gas, broth of wild rose, chamomile or compote not only have a positive effect on the body, but also wash away pathogenic bacteria from the mucous membrane of the oropharynx;
strengthen the immune system. Proper nutrition, long walks in the fresh air, physical education and hardening will help the body become stronger and quickly cope with infection;
give up bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol.

To prevent the development of angina, it is important to follow the rules of personal hygiene, this will help to avoid infection by contact

Angina is contagious, therefore, during the period of an epidemic of colds, it is recommended to carry a can of sea water with you and periodically rinse your nose, especially after visiting public places or traveling in public transport.

If it was not possible to avoid the disease, and there is a sick angina in the apartment, measures are shown to prevent the spread of the disease. The patient is placed in a separate room, which is often cleaned and ventilated. He also needs to allocate a separate dish and a towel.

Can you get sore throat? Of course, sore throat is contagious, and if you do not follow the rules of personal hygiene and do not monitor the state of the immune system, you can get sick very quickly. In order not to become a source of infection for others yourself, you need to consult a doctor in a timely manner and start treatment.