Are ear infections contagious?



Our ability to hear is one of the most significant and important senses we possess as it allows us to accomplish a number of activities that might have been significantly harder were it not for the ears. For instance, the ears play a significant role in aiding communication as well as gauging and judging distances between an object and our body. It helps us be alert to movement in our surroundings that maybe our eyes were not able to see. Despite the fact that there are a number of people all over the world that are deaf or hearing impaired, for someone with perfect hearing to imagine him or herself with substantial hearing loss would be quite a traumatic experience. Without the sense of hearing the overall quality of life and the way you live it will change rapidly. As a result, it is important to make sure that you do everything you can to ensure that your ears are well cared for and fully functional. However, hearing loss is a normal turn of events as a person continues to age, but is not normal in someone that is still in the prime of his or her life and will need to be looked into more intensely in order to identify the root cause of the problem.

There are a host of causes that can be attributed to the development of hearing loss. For instance, the hearing loss could be the result of nothing more than a difference in the pressure between the eustachian tube and the environmental surroundings. The condition could also be the result of an ear infection that has developed in between the middle ear and the outer ear. Another one of the very common causes of the infections is the continued use of earphones, especially the type that goes deeper into the ear canal. When we share these earphones with other individuals, the bacteria trapped within their ears are likely to cause infection in your ears as well. You may also want to check of the ear infection is the result of the buildup of wax within the ear canal. There are also a number of symptoms of ear infection that are easily noticeable like that of pain in the ear, drainage of some fluid or pus from the ear canal, temporary loss of hearing and so on.

Because of the fact that ear infections are a rather common occurrence, there are a number of home remedies for ear infections that have been developed all over the world. These home remedies for ear infections will help you deal with the condition in a much natural way without the worry of major side effects. The use of garlic for the treatment of fungal ear infections is known to be very effective. This treatment for ear infection is known to be highly successful because of the antiseptic and anti - fungal properties of garlic. However, before going too in depth with details of the various anti fungal home remedies for ear infection, understanding the various symptoms will help you diagnose the condition more effectively. Intense itching, color discharge from the ear and the development of a slight fever are some of the most common symptoms that one is likely to witness.

One of the more effective fungal ear infection home remedies is to simply place a warm hot water bottle around the ear for a period of time. This will also help alleviate any substantial discomfort that you may be facing at that time. Moreover, you could also try placing a couple of drips of either garlic or onion juice into your ear canal in an effort to draw some of the infection out as a result of the antifungal properties of either juices. Whatever you do, avoid the use of ear candles as, despite the fact that they are widely used, can prove to be very dangerous to your ears if not used properly. You could also consult your doctor who would prescribe effective ear drops for the ear infections.

answered by M W

The bacterial present in the ear which cause the ear infection are not contagious. But the cold virus which can result in ear infection is contagious. This means if you catch a cold from another person with a cold virus and ear infection, it may or may not result in ear infection. So to answer your question, ear infections are not contagious, colds are.

answered by P P


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