The word "angina" is known to everyone, even preschoolers. But not everyone understands that this is a dangerous bacterial infection and it requires serious medical treatment.
Is angina transmitted from person to person? It's definitely contagious. And in order to avoid infection during the period of mass spread of infection in the fall, you need to be careful and try to have less contact with the sick person.
Streptococcus is the culprit of viral sore throat
Contrary to popular belief, a severe sore throat is not always a sore throat. In medicine, only inflammation caused by streptococcal infection is called sore throat.
The symptoms of this infection are well known to many:
- throat redness and sharp pain when swallowing;
- headache;
- high temperature.
The infection is transmitted, and very quickly. Moreover, in the autumn and spring periods, the number of casesit is streptococcal infection that increases as people sit more indoors when it gets cold. And in a confined space, all viruses and bacteria spread much faster.
Like most infectious diseases, it is extremely dangerous and takes a very long time to heal. Untreated streptococcal infection spreads throughout the body and causes rheumatoid arthritis, heart and kidney disease.
Sometimes the disease is caused by other bacteria - staphylococci. Which of the bacteria caused these or other symptoms, only a doctor can tell.
If you have a small child and you are interested in the question of whether angina is transmitted by airborne droplets, then medical science confirms this. Angina is one of those diseases that easily passes from a sick person to a he althy one, and the most standard transmission mechanism is aerosol (a bacterium can fly several meters during a sneeze). Although a small percentage of the population is simply a carrier of the disease. But the carrier has no active bacteria and is not contagious.
Main routes of infection
Specialists in immunology identify three main ways of infection. Consider in order:
- Aerosol transmission, or, as the people know, airborne.
- Contact - with close interaction through dishes, towels and other household items.
- Alimentary method - through contaminated food, the bacterium streptococcus easily enters the tonsils.
Those who doubt whether angina is transmitted should clearly understand that it is highly contagiousdisease.
In a cold room and with low body resistance, streptococci cling to a person faster, especially to a child. In cold weather, it is necessary to ventilate the room (apartment, office, etc.), but without excessive enthusiasm. No need to turn the room into a refrigerator. It is quite enough to slightly open the window for ten minutes so that the air is at least slightly replaced by fresh air. The patient at this time must be "relocated" to another room.
Is sore throat transmitted by air?
So, we found out that tonsillitis is still a contagious disease. It is not caused by hypothermia. However, cold is one of the factors that lowers the body's defenses and contributes to the development of inflammation of the tonsils.
Everyone is used to thinking that cold water or juice causes a sore throat. It's hard to believe, but it's not quite true.
Does the bacterium really play a major role in the disease and is angina transmitted by airborne droplets? Unfortunately, the aerosol route is the fastest way to spread infection. When the patient sneezes, the infection "floats" around the room. And all the people who are nearby are infected. But adults with strong immunity may not get sick, but children are still weak, their defenses are not developed enough to resist staphylococci or streptococci.
Diagnosis
You can diagnose the infection yourself, based on the symptoms. The patient can see enlarged tonsils even at home in the mirror. And if there is no high temperature, do not swallowit hurts, even though the throat is red, there is no runny nose, then this is not a sore throat.
To clarify, it is better to go to the therapist and take a smear for analysis.
Antibiotics are prescribed only after the doctor has confirmed that the disease is caused by streptococcus, and he himself prescribed certain drugs.
Purulent tonsillitis
The incubation period of purulent tonsillitis is from 2 to 14 days. The symptoms are very severe: body temperature is 38-39 degrees, body aches and often abdominal pain. And, of course, severe inflammation of the tonsils. They are so swollen that the patient cannot swallow food at all. Drinks only water.
What about this type of infection? Is purulent tonsillitis transmitted or is it a consequence of drinking cold drinks in summer? Like other types of the disease, it is transmitted both through personal hygiene items and through the air. If a child is somehow weakened or has chronic sluggish tonsillitis, then he will be more susceptible to bacteria.
Pus forms on inflamed tonsils when immune cells die. In fact, the tonsils are the accumulation of lymphocytes at the arch of the pharynx. They serve as a barrier to infections entering the mouth and nasopharynx. When the cells of the immune system die in large numbers in the process of fighting streptococci, they remain on the surface and turn into pus. If there is a lot of pus, it is removed surgically.
What can you answer the question of whether angina is transmitted? A child in the acute phase is really contagious, and he must be kept at home in quarantine.
You can get infected throughkiss?
Close contact, especially when people share a room, always increases the risk of infection. If this is a family of three (mother, father and child), the obvious question arises: is a sore throat transmitted by kissing, that is, is it necessary to be afraid of kissing a loved one?
The usual kiss is also a source of infection. The bacterium can be transferred to a he althy person even with a kiss on the cheek, for example, when a mother puts a child to bed.
Therefore, it is better to refrain from manifestations of tenderness for a while and put on a mask in the acute period of the disease or hide behind a he althy handkerchief while caring for a sick sore throat.
Primary and secondary infection. Transmission
What is the primary infection? This is an underlying disease caused by a specific bacterium. In our case, streptococcus. The secondary infection is called so because it “appeared” later, developed against the background of a general weakening of the body due to the primary infection.
And although we already know that inflammation of the tonsils due to the development of streptococci in them is contagious, I would like to clarify whether sore throat is transmitted? The answer is yes.
Lacunar angina
There are 5 main types of angina: follicular, catarrhal, herpetic, purulent and lacunar. All of them are contagious and all are transmitted by airborne droplets. But the most dangerous are purulent and lacunar.
When lacunar accumulations of white plaque are formed around painful ulcers. Symptomsappear quickly, almost immediately after infection. And just as quickly pass with the right, competent treatment.
Topical antibiotics
Any medicines that you buy in a pharmacy without a prescription are designed to relieve symptoms for a while. Ibuprofen, for example, will relieve the temperature, tablets or throat sprays will help relieve acute pain.
If the pharmacy offers you local antibiotics for treatment (Hexoral, Stopangin, Bioparox), then know that they will help only in the first stages of the disease, and then only if the situation is not so serious. Lozenges, Strepsils and the like, serve only to relieve pain for a while, they do not kill the bacterium itself. Rinses are also needed to alleviate the condition.
If the temperature rises above 38 ° C and the pain becomes unbearable, you need to call an ambulance.
Treatment and prevention
If a laboratory analysis has identified a sore throat, then you need to be treated with antibiotics of the penicillin series. Antibiotics such as macrolides and cephalosporins are prescribed for purulent tonsillitis, when the patient is already very ill. But you can't assign them to yourself. In addition, they are prohibited during pregnancy.
Prevention of the disease consists in hardening. Cold showers in the morning, walking barefoot in the summer, active exercise - all this is essential to maintain a strong immune defense. If a person works in a stuffy office, where a lot of people pass during the day, he just needs a strong immune system. Otherwise, he will constantly suffer from tonsillitis, sinusitis, and then from tonsillitis against their background.
When there is a patient with a sore throat in the house, he needs to allocate personal dishes. Don't touch his towel at this time. In general, if possible, limit all contact with him. It is especially important to keep small children away from the sick person.
Folk treatments
Sore throat relieved by various infusions and gargles. At home, in addition to the medications prescribed by your doctor, you can add traditional methods.
The healing powers of chamomile, linden, oak bark are widely known. To make an infusion of linden, it is enough to brew one tablespoon of flowers in a glass of boiling water. You can boil for a couple of minutes. It is recommended to drink such a decoction 50 grams per dose 4 times a day.
A patient with a sore throat will benefit from honey mixed with lemon. This mixture is added to tea. Sometimes grated ginger is added to the mixture.
Recommended for rinsing saline-soda solutions with the addition of a drop of iodine. If you cannot stand the taste of soda, it is better to brew oak bark and rinse with this infusion.
Honey and bee products - royal jelly, bee pestilence, propolis and zabrus - are ancient methods of treatment. Especially zabrus is very useful in inflammatory diseases of the throat. The use of bee products is not dosed, but there is also no need to eat sweets beyond measure before sprinkling. You can eat as much as you feel your body needs.
One of the effective means is alsois propolis. Propolis infusions significantly relieve inflammation. However, we recall that decoctions, inhalations and rinses are not the main treatment, but an additional one.
Finally
So, what is the conclusion from what has been said? We set out to answer the question: “Is angina transmitted?”, And why is it so dangerous. The infection is transmitted from a sick person through contact or through the air. If you want to protect your child from illness, teach your child to harden and run. Increases immunity and the use of bee products.
Angina is really more dangerous than we used to think, because it gives severe complications to the kidneys and heart. If the first symptoms are felt - the throat is compressed, it is painful to swallow solid food - treatment should be started immediately. And if you feel worse, call the doctor on duty right away.
