Many do not know whether it is possible to catch a sore throat from a person. The latter refers to infectious diseases. It is equally common in both adults and children. Therefore, it is necessary to approach such a disease with all responsibility and worry about preventive measures in advance.
Features
Not everyone understands how they get a sore throat. In medical terminology, this pathology is called tonsillitis. The peak incidence of angina is usually observed during transitional seasonal periods, especially in the fall and spring.
This trend is explained by the fact that in the off-season the activity of infectious agents increases sharply. Therefore, people with weakened immune systems have a high risk of contracting a sore throat, which very often gives serious complications.
To exclude the possibility of a disease, you should know everything about this insidious disease: through what sources it is transmitted, what causes can provoke its development, effective preventive measures to prevent it and howget a sore throat.
How angina is transmitted
Being an infectious disease by nature, tonsillitis can be caused by any representatives of pathogenic microflora: viruses, bacteria, fungi. But most often the cause of tonsillitis is a streptococcal or staphylococcal infection. Under favorable conditions, the pathogen actively multiplies, which contributes to its spread.
There are several routes of transmission. So, how do you get a sore throat:
- Airborne. Regardless of the nature of the pathogen, this route of transmission is considered the most common. For a he althy person with weakened immunity, even a short close contact with a sick sore throat is enough to catch the infection.
- Alimentary way. In this case, infection occurs as a result of eating foodstuffs infected with the causative agent of tonsillitis. Poor processing, as well as cooking from spoiled products, provoke intense food contamination.
- The contact-household method of transmission is also quite common with angina. Infection is facilitated by the use of the same household items with a sick person: towels, cups, spoons. The infectious agent is also transmitted through a kiss. That is, when asked whether it is possible to catch a sore throat from a patient, the answer is yes.
- Autoinfection. By this route of transmission is meant bacteriocarrier. That is, a person may not even suspect that in his body, but inin particular on the tonsils, pathogenic agents have “chosen” comfortable housing for themselves. When the protective functions of the immune system decrease, pathogens enter the active phase, causing damage to the human body.
- Sexual way is also not excluded as a way of transmitting angina. But it can be seen through oral contact with a partner with gonorrhea. In such situations, an atypical angina of a gonococcal nature of origin is recorded. This disease is extremely rare.
Given all of the above factors, you need to be extremely careful in any kind of contact with people with tonsillitis. And it is best to constantly adhere to preventive measures, which will protect you not only from a sore throat, but also from other dangerous infections.
The degree of contagiousness (contagiousness) of angina
Infectious tonsillitis is on the top lines of the list of the most contagious pathologies. The disease is very quickly transmitted from a sick person to a he althy contingent, and after a while it manifests itself in an acute form with signs characteristic of the inflammatory process.
Since the etiology (causes of the onset of the disease) can be different, the following forms of tonsillitis are distinguished in medicine:
- Viral type of disease can be caused by the causative agent of measles, influenza. Tonsillitis of this variant proceeds in the form of inflammation of the tonsils, but the characteristic plaque does not form. The infection is capable of being transmitted throughout the acute period.
- Bacterial form of angina- this is usually the result of an attack by streptococcal agents. This type is characterized by rapid development, with high fever, sharp soreness in the throat. Many do not understand whether it is possible and how to get infected with purulent tonsillitis. In this case, the formation of purulent plugs takes place. The disease is transmitted even with short-term contact with a sick person.
- Tonsillitis caused by a fungal infection is very easy to identify by the white cheesy plaque that covers the surface of the tonsils. Most often, infection occurs by contact-household. But the contagiousness of this form of tonsillitis is much lower than infections of a viral and bacterial nature. This feature is explained by the fact that representatives of a conditionally pathogenic group live in the oral cavity of a he althy person. These are mainly representatives of the Candida species.
Features of angina in children
Not everyone knows if a child can get a sore throat. The disease is dangerous especially for babies of the first year of life. But the disease poses no less threat to preschool children. The fact is that the child's immune system completes its formation only by adolescence.
Weak defense mechanisms of the child's body cannot cope with the massive attacks of pathogenic pathogens, which explains the frequency of childhood infections.
Because angina is highly contagious and children in educational institutions come into close contact with each other, the chances of spreading the infection increase.
Concomitant factors in children
Not everyone knows how children get angina. The following factors are associated with the transmission of the disease:
- hypothermia;
- previous colds;
- Wrong choice of tactics in the treatment of cardiac pathologies and allergies in a child;
- exacerbation of chronic processes;
- external factors such as contact with strangers, adults who may simply be carriers of the infection without even knowing it.
It is very difficult to determine a sore throat in children, especially if a child under three years of age gets sick. Older kids can already describe their complaints, so the diagnosis in this case is carried out with the best result. But there is one sure sign that will help parents determine that something is not right with the child. This is a refusal to eat.
Children suffer from the same forms of tonsillitis as adults. But, as a rule, the disease is much more severe, and all the symptoms appear brighter. The most dangerous sore throat options for children are the herpetic and lacunar form.
What additional factors affect the likelihood of infection
It is worth knowing that not always close contact with a sick person in combination with concomitant factors leads to a sore throat. Some people are not susceptible to certain types of pathogenic diseases, which serves as a reliable barrier to the spread of infection.
At the same time, scientists have proved that in large metropolitan areas, tonsillitis is more common among the population. This is explained by the high population density, which contributes to the maximum spread of the pathogen.
Too high risk of angina among the following populations:
- educators;
- medical personnel of medical and preventive structures;
- social workers;
- students of schools, universities, secondary vocational schools;
- children attending kindergartens.
People belonging to one of the groups listed are at increased risk for tonsillitis. They can be potential carriers of the infection, and therefore become a source of its spread.
Causes of disease
Since the tonsils are one of the components of the immune system, they perform certain functions: they protect the respiratory tract from the penetration of pathogenic agents from the outside. When this finely tuned mechanism malfunctions, pathogens easily overcome the protective barrier and enter the nasopharynx.
But for the development of the disease, a number of favorable factors are needed, including:
- stress;
- avitaminosis;
- not fully cured infections;
- tonsil injury;
- lack of sleep;
- constant drafts and hypothermia.
All these additional causes create fertile ground for the development of the pathogen. Therefore, in order to exclude any possibility of infection with a sore throat, one must adhere to simplepreventive advice.
Prevention
Medics are always strongly advised to adhere to certain rules that will help protect against any infection.
There is a list of preventive measures to reduce the risk of tonsillitis. It includes the following requirements:
- It is necessary to regularly monitor the he alth of the oral cavity and treat caries in a timely manner.
- Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them.
- Establish a diet. Be sure to include foods high in vitamins in the menu.
- Systematically ventilate the room, carry out wet cleaning there.
- Treat colds and chronic pathologies to the full extent of the therapy proposed by the doctor.
- Practice hardening and outdoor activities.
- Prevent hypothermia.
- For the cold season, choose the right clothes.
- Be sure to wear a hat in autumn and winter.
- At the first signs of illness, you should definitely visit a doctor.
Additional recommendations
In addition to the above measures, it is necessary to constantly strengthen the body's immune resource: take vitamin complexes, use folk remedies based on ginger, lemon and other useful herbal preparations.
These simple preventive measures are good for adults and children. Their implementation will not require much time, but it will help to maintain he alth and resistonslaught of infection.
As you can see, when asked if you can get a sore throat from another, the answer is yes. Therefore, you should not ignore the elementary rules of prevention.
