Can I share drinks with someone who has strep?

Why is a shared drink a risk with strep?

Strep throat is a bacterial infection caused by group A strep. MedlinePlus says it spreads through person-to-person contact with fluids from the nose or saliva. A shared bottle, straw or fork puts their saliva right where your mouth goes.

The CDC says close contact with someone who has strep is the most common risk factor for getting it, and the bacteria often spread to others in the same household. That is why roommates, siblings and partners are the people most likely to catch it.

• Water bottles, cups, cans and straws
• Forks, spoons and bites off the same plate
• Drinks passed around at a party or in a drinking game
• Anything else that goes from one mouth to another
• Toothbrushes kept in the same cup

How long after antibiotics does the risk drop?

The CDC says taking the right antibiotic for 12 hours or longer limits how well a person can pass strep to others. It tells people to stay home until they have no fever and at least 12 to 24 hours have passed since starting antibiotics. MedlinePlus is a little more cautious: most people can spread strep until they have been on antibiotics for 24 to 48 hours.

These sources do not give one exact hour. For something as direct as drinking from the same cup, use the longer end. Feeling better is not the signal. The fever and the antibiotic clock are.

• Still sick, no antibiotics yet: no sharing at all
• Fever gone and 12 to 24 hours of antibiotics: earliest point the CDC uses for going back to school or work
• 24 to 48 hours of antibiotics: when MedlinePlus says most people stop spreading it
• Easiest rule: keep separate cups until the course is done

How do you live with a roommate or family member who has strep?

You do not need to move out. Strep is about close contact, so the goal is to keep saliva and hands from carrying it to you. The CDC and MedlinePlus give a short list of habits that cover most of it.

• Use your own cup, bottle and utensils
• Wash cups, utensils and plates after the sick person uses them
• Keep toothbrushes and utensils separate unless they have been washed
• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Have the sick person cover coughs and sneezes
• The sick person should get a new toothbrush after 2 or 3 days of antibiotics, before finishing the course

I already shared a drink. What now?

Don't panic. A shared sip does not mean you will get sick. The CDC says it usually takes 2 to 5 days after exposure to get strep throat, so watch yourself over the next week.

You usually do not need a test if you feel fine. The AAP's HealthyChildren.org says strep tests are not needed for children without symptoms, and tells families to call if strep symptoms show up in the next 7 days. If you start to feel sick, get tested. Strep is treated with antibiotics, so a test tells you whether you need them.

• Sore throat that comes on fast, with pain when you swallow
• Fever
• Red, swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks
• Headache, nausea, vomiting or stomach pain, especially in kids
• A rash, which can mean scarlet fever

What if strep keeps going around the house?

Some people test positive for group A strep but have no symptoms. If strep keeps coming back in a family, MedlinePlus says a clinician may check whether someone is a carrier. Bring it up if your household has had several rounds in a row.

If you are the one with strep, take your antibiotic for as long as it was prescribed, even after you feel fine. MedlinePlus says the course is often 10 days, even though symptoms are often gone within a few days, and that untreated strep can lead to serious complications. The CDC lists complications like abscesses, rheumatic fever and a kidney disease.