A sore, scratchy throat, pain when swallowing, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Strep throat can be quite disruptive and not to mention painful. Strep throat is extremely contagious and spreads like butter. With one touch of a surface and a swipe of the nose, you can easily pick up the disease. The good news is there are ways to prevent the spread of the disease and reduce the risk of a not-so-fun experience for others, especially in strep's peak seasons. Using the tips below may help in preventing the spread of the infection and keep you and your family healthy. 

Preventing the Spread of Strep Throat

1. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze. If using a tissue, use a single-use tissue and dispose of the tissue immediately after use. If you don’t have a tissue available, you can cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow but make sure not to touch anything with that area of your body and disinfect or wash the area as soon as possible.
2. Wash your hands often and properly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. If warm water and soap are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
3. Disinfect and clean the surfaces in your home. Clean surfaces often, such as kitchen and bathroom surfaces, doorknobs, handles, cell phones, computers, keys, desks, and of course, toys.
4. Avoid touching your face and mouth. Enough said here. 
5. Avoid contact with others until you or the individual who has been infected with strep throat has been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours.  
6. Avoid sharing drinking glasses, utensils, plates, or any other items you would use to eat with. Wash plates, utensils, and glasses thoroughly after using to make sure all bacteria have been removed for the next person who uses them. Also, it is recommended that you avoid sharing toothbrushes as well. However, we hope that one is a no-brainer for you!

Using these six steps will help in reducing the spread of strep infection or other germy conditions in your home, with your loved ones, and even with strangers. Be diligent about following these tips, and you’ll hopefully have a healthier cold-weather season ahead!