Hearty partying has well-documented dangers, but the perils don’t end with liver problems and drunk driving accidents.

Party atmospheres, through deliberate neglect or inebriated inattentiveness, are liable to host a playground of germs and other hygienic hazards. Be it an unwashed countertop or a reused cup, the sanitary risks of partying are plentiful.

Many diseases can be transmitted via touch or saliva, said Peg Carroll, Communicable Disease Coordinator at the DeKalb County Health Department.

“The soup du jour today is MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), influenza and colds. All three of those are transmissible,” Carroll said. “In a party atmosphere with crowded conditions, which is one of the MRSA risks, multiple people touching multiple surfaces can be unknowingly transmitting germs. Unknowingly - that’s the keyword.”

“Usually when you come down with a cold or something, you have an average of a three-day incubation period where you have the cold without knowing it and you can pass the germs to other people,” said Rebecca Zarr-Berg, a clinical laboratory science major with a degree in biology.

This means sharing cups for drinking games like beer pong and flippy-cup can be as good as asking for a cold or flu. Just because someone seems healthy enough to be drunk doesn’t mean they are actually healthy at all, and they may in fact be rife with germs to pass on to fellow party-goers.

“Influenza and colds are transmitted by people who cover their mouths when they cough in their hands,” Carroll said, “Mom taught you to cover with your hand; that’s really incorrect - then you go around campus touching things with that hand.”

“When you’re out at parties, remember that hand-washing is vital and wash frequently,” Carroll said.

In a college town, hosts ought not be expected to provide sanitary party conditions. The best way to ensure your health is to consider it your own responsibility.

Kristy Prignano, a sophomore elementary education major, carries a small bottle of hand-sanitizer in her purse.

“My mom sent it to me,” Prignano said. “She’s kind of a germophobe, but I do use it.”

While the sometimes reckless partying can be a draw for many college students, being aware of the consequences of party behavior, even if it does somewhat defeat the purpose, can help participants stem the tide of health issues and complications.

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