Tonsillitis - infectious?

[Pot Bellied Fool]

Hi All

We're due to visit some friends at the weekend for a BBQ and it sounds like one of the adult guests has tonsillitis.

MrsPBF is worrying herself and would like to know if it's safe to take along our 17 month old?

Any opinions? Is Tonsillitis that infectious? Reading the web gives plenty of scare stories but little hard fact.

Cheers

[blindswelledrat]

Tonsillitus is infectious.
YOu cannot spend your life worrying about what a toddler may or may not catch though.
Every kid they come into contact with is carry germs from 30 or 40 other kids. Eveyr time you go anywhere where you encounter other people, some of them have infectious illnesses.
It's completely pointless singling out one individual to be frightened of.

[alfa pint]

Yes, but it won't kill anyone. And it's not like mumps, where all sorts of other horrible things happen.

[Marf]

I had mumps aged 10 or so, came down with it the Friday before the easter holidays

[MGZRod]

I've had tonsellitis all too often. And In my experience (just a mere 18 year old with st luck) It's not infectious unless the infectee is being daft. Heavy breathing near people, coughing without washing hands. double dipping doritos in sauce, pulling everyone in sight. That kind of thing.

Your child should be fine, with a large group of people about, the kids more likely to get a cold from someone than tonsel gunge!

[Jasandjules]

Yes it is. I wouldn't be too keen to take a 17month child to someone who has it as IIRC 10-15mins in a room with someone with an infection of any kind can result in you acquiring it. After all, it's quite painful.. Or you could go the other way and try to expose the child to every germ going in small quantities whilst young to build up immunity?