Author: hans
Date: 2007-06-20 23:59
Getting sick by sharing equipment may be uncommon, but according to Wikipedia here is a list of diseases that can be transmitted orally.
Bacterial Meningitis
Chickenpox
Common cold
Influenza
Mumps
Strep throat
Tuberculosis
Measles
Rubella
Whooping cough
Cytomegalovirus infections
Herpes simplex virus (especially HSV-1)
Mononucleosis
I would guess that SARS could be added to the list. It was so highly contagious that a nurse who touched her protective mask became infected and died later from the infectious agent that had accumulated there during Toronto's epidemic.
Most of us would probably prefer not to risk these infections just to save someone from a minor inconvenience, like cleaning a mouthpiece, compared to a lifetime of cold sores, or worse.
The real issue is keeping the risk of infection to a reasonable minimum. In other aspects of daily living, this is done by things like handwashing, which no one would take issue with, and I don't understand why anyone would think that the principle should not extend to clarinet mouthpieces.
Chris P, was there some reason that the mouthpiece could not be cleaned before testing?
Hans
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