Sharing Cups

Hello,
I was wondering what the risk of contracting HSV1 is from sharing cups with someone who has cold sores.  

I recently played 'beer pong' where I shared a set of cups with 4 other team members to drink beer.  I didn't see any sores on any of my team members' mouths.  However, I had read that you can still contract cold sores/HSV1 even if you can't see sores on or around a person's mouth.  

So my question is: is there is a high risk of getting cold sores from a game like beer pong or with sharing cups?

Thank you for the help!

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

No, I believe the risk of acquiring HSV orally from sharing cups with someone who has HSV orally (if they did) when they have no symptoms in very very low.  The kind of contact you would need to acquire HSV 1 orally from someone who has it with no symptoms at the time would be very deep kissing or receiving oral sex, both of which involved a lot more contact and secretions than beer pong, though I have only played it once, but I think I get the idea anyway.

Terri

[summerluvr]

Yes you can get it that way because that is how I got it.  Someone drank out my water bottle at a party 10 years ago who had a cold sore. We only figured it out when we got pictures developed and my friend pointed it out (about month later) after we could not figure out what happened to me.  I developed a severe first outbreak at 7 days after the party. It was a friend of a freind type deal.  Don' share cups with people you do not know! Please!  Even if you don't see the cold sore, they could have prodome or whatever it's called. In my case the loser had a huge cold sore and didn't care who he gave it to.

[concernedquestioner]

Hi Terri,
Thank you for the reply.  I have one last question: is there a time frame after possible exposure that one can expect to see symptoms, which, after it passes, one can believe that they are in the clear?
Thanks!

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

The incubation time from infection to symptoms, if there are going to be symptoms, is 2-10 days, with the average being 5.5 days.  

Terri

[kk322]

A related discussion, i need to know was started.