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A 27-year-old female asked:

Can you get herpes from accidentally drinking off of someone elses can who is infected? no visible sores were seen on their lips? the can sat for about 1-2 hours before i accidentally took a sip from the canned drink?

2 doctor answers2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Tinuola Adeyanju
Internal Medicine and Pediatrics 41 years experience
Herpes transmission in the above described circumstances is very unlikely.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Joseph Eastern
Dermatology 46 years experience
While it’s technically possible for you to catch herpes by sharing a drink, the fact is that it’s highly unlikely for the virus to spread this way. And after 1-2 hours, it's darn near impossible. I wouldn't be concerned.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

Related questions

A 38-year-old female asked:
I was exposed to oral or genital herpes. 10 days later I shared a drink with my siblings. I had no symptoms at the time, still dont have symptoms or sores on my mouth. What are the chances I spread the virus to them by drinking off the same straw?
Dr. Donald Colantino
Internal Medicine 63 years experience
HSV is basically spread by skin to skin contact. Although it's theoretically possible to transmit it by sharing a glass or straw, it's a very,very low... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Hunter Handsfield
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HSV transmission virtually always requires direct skin to skin contact with an infectious lesion. And with no symptoms after 10 days, it is unlikely you were infected when exposed.
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A 23-year-old male asked:
I have the herpes simplex virus on my whole lip and its swollen with puss. It hurts to drink and eat. When will it heal?
Dr. Robert Killian
General Practice 30 years experience
Swollen with Pus?: Herpes does not usually swell and it definitely does not have pus. This sounds like an infection. And with the staph epidemic i would recommend you g... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 29-year-old female asked:
Can you contract oral herpes by sharing drink with infected person?
Dr. Robert Killian
General Practice 30 years experience
Herpes: Nope. And remember you are much more likely to already have herpes than not. A significant majority of americans have oral herpes, now known as hsv ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A female asked:
What if I shared a ciggerate and a energy drink with someone and then a month later I saw they had herpes on their lip?
Dr. Gurmukh Singh
Pathology 51 years experience
Need more info: Did you get a sore on your lip after sharing the cigarette and drink? It is likely that you are already infected with Herpes Simplex 1 as are most adu... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
View all answers
A 27-year-old female asked:
Can you contract herpes from drinking from the same straw as a infected person?
Dr. Liesa Harte
Family Medicine 31 years experience
Herpes: That sounds possible under the right circumstances. The person would have to have oral herpes and be shedding the virus, and the virus would have to ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
View all answers
Last updated Jan 31, 2022
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