Can Ear Infections Spread From Person to Person?

While they are common and can be a nuisance, ear infections are not contagious. However, the viruses and bacteria that cause them often are contagious.

Understanding the connection between ear infections and the germs that cause them—and using preventative methods against those germs—can decrease your chances of developing an ear infection.

How Do Ear Infections Start?

There are several types of ear infections. Most ear infections occur after a case of a cold, sore throat, or other upper respiratory infection. This type of ear infection is medically referred to as otitis media. The illnesses that precede an ear infection can be caused by either bacteria or viruses.

If bacteria are causing your upper respiratory infection, the bacteria can make their way into your middle ear. The middle ear, which is behind your eardrum, is where the ear infection would then develop. If a virus is causing your upper respiratory infection, the viruses can also travel to your middle ear. Or, bacteria might start gathering in the germ-friendly environment the virus has created and then make their way into the middle ear.

The bacteria and viruses can travel to your inner ear through your Eustachian tube, which connects your middle ear to the back of your throat. Usually your Eustachian tube drains fluid your middle ear makes. But when the tube is clogged because of the mucus from the bacterial or viral infection, fluid cannot properly drain and so instead builds up. That fluid build-up is what leads to the ear infection and the feeling of pressure.

Can You 'Catch' An Ear Infection?

Ear infections themselves are not contagious. While you can’t catch an ear infection from someone, you can be infected with the virus or bacterium that caused their upper respiratory infection—the infection from which the ear infection stems.

That also means that if you're the one with an ear infection, you can't spread it to someone else. But again, you can spread the bacterial or viral infection you had prior to the ear infection.

Unfortunately, the upper respiratory infections that happen before an ear infection like a cold or sore throat can be pretty contagious. You usually acquire an upper respiratory infection by breathing in infected droplets.

But just because you have an upper respiratory infection doesn't necessarily mean you'll get an ear infection. Adults are less likely than children to develop an ear infection because adults have longer Eustachian tubes. Because infants and children have shorter Eustachian tubes, it is harder for fluid to drain out of the ear, which puts them at increased risk for developing an ear infection.

Symptoms of Ear Infections

Symptoms of an ear infection might start soon after your cold or whatever other illness is affecting your upper respiratory airways, like your nose and throat.

Adults and older children might experience the following symptoms if they have an ear infection:

• Ear pain
• A feeling of fullness in the ear
• A general feeling of being unwell
• Nasal congestion
• Cough
• Lethargy
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Hearing loss in the infected ear
• Fluid that drains out of the infected ear
• Loss of appetite

Infants are too young to vocalize their symptoms. Clues your young child might have an ear infection include:

• Irritability
• Crying that you can't stop
• Fever
• Trouble sleeping

When to See a Healthcare Provider

A child who is younger than 6 months should be brought to a healthcare provider if they have a fever or any other symptoms of an ear infection.

Older children should be brought to a healthcare provider if they have a fever of 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, a loss of hearing, or any fluid coming from the ear. Otherwise, caregivers should seek medical care if a child's ear infection symptoms last more than two or three days.

You should also consider seeking medical care if your symptoms get worse even with treatment or you have severe pain.

Severe pain that goes away suddenly is another sign you should go to a healthcare provider; this could mean that your eardrum has ruptured, which means a hole has been created in your eardrum. Swelling behind the ear, severe headache, dizziness, and facial muscle twitching are other symptoms that should be checked out.

At the office, the healthcare provider will ask about your or your child's symptoms. They'll also look inside the ear with an otoscope, which has a light, to see if the eardrum is red and bulging. That appearance would likely mean you or your child has an ear infection.

How Are Ear Infections Treated?

How an ear infection is treated might depend on how old the person is, how severe the infection is, and how long the infection has lasted.

Ear infections in a baby younger than 6 months are treated with antibiotics. For anyone older, antibiotics might be given for severe infections or if an infection doesn't go away on its own after two or three days.

Often, an ear infection does go away on its own. As it clears itself up, you can help relieve symptoms by putting a warm cloth over the ear. You can also ask your healthcare provider about over-the-counter options for relieving pain, which can include ear drops or medications like Advil (ibuprofen).

Regardless of whether your ear infection is treated with antibiotics, resting and getting plenty of fluids can help your immune system fight off the infection.

If your child experiences recurring ear infections, your healthcare provider might recommend surgery to place a tube in their eardrum. The tube can help drain fluid from the ear and prevent future infections.

How to Prevent Ear Infections

You can prevent ear infections by avoiding the contagious viral and bacterial illnesses that can cause them. That means doing the following:

• Make sure your child is caught up on their vaccines. This included the pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against bacteria that are the leading cause of ear infections.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Wash toys after use.
• Avoid letting your child spend time with another chid who is sick.

Not giving your child a bottle as they are lying down and avoiding smoke exposure are two other things you can do to prevent ear infections.

If you can, consider breastfeeding your child through at least month six. Research shows that breast milk can help prevent ear infections.

A Quick Review

While ear infections are common, they are not contagious. However, the viruses and bacteria that cause ear infections are contagious. Ear infections often develop after an upper respiratory infection like the cold. The germs that caused the upper respiratory infection can travel to the ear, causing an ear infection. The best way to avoid an ear infection is to prevent the contagious upper respiratory illnesses that cause them. You can do this by washing your hands, cleaning toys, and avoiding contact with people who are sick. If you or your child is experiencing symptoms of an ear infection, contact a healthcare provider. They will direct you on what to do, which may include waiting a couple days to see if the infection gets better on its own or taking antibiotics.