A sample will be taken from the throat and tested. Two cotton-tipped swabs will be swiped over the back of the throat and tonsils. This should not hurt but may cause your child to gag. The lab will do one or more tests on the sample. Strep carriers do not need to have repeated strep tests done.
Doing throat swabs on children who are strep carriers may cause them to take antibiotics that they do not need. A positive strep test must be treated with antibiotic medicine within a few days to prevent the germs from causing problems. Antibiotics are not given to strep carriers or to treat viruses because and they will not be effective. Antibiotics can have side effects such as diarrhea and rash. Antibiotic medicine is usually taken by mouth but may be given by injection.
Your child should start feeling better within a day or two. It is very important to take all the medicine for ten days, as ordered, even after starting to feel better Picture 1. When antibiotics are not used correctly such as taking too much, missing doses or not finishing a prescription , some bacteria can develop resistance. Resistance can make infections very hard to treat. Sometimes they cannot be treated at all.
If your child is allergic to penicillin, be sure to tell the doctor. Strep throat is an infection of the throat and tonsils. GAS bacteria can spread from person to person through contact with respiratory droplets from a person with strep throat. These droplets may be spread when a person with strep throat coughs or sneezes. You may also get the infection if you:. Strep throat is most common in school-age children.
Only 10 percent of adults with a sore throat have strep throat. Adults who are frequently around school-age children have a higher risk of getting strep throat.
Since strep throat is very contagious, being in crowded places, such as schools or daycare centers, can increase your risk of becoming sick. Some children have recurring strep throat , contracting the disease multiple times in a year. In the case of recurring infections, your doctor may recommend tonsil removal to help decrease the frequency of strep throat infections. This procedure is called a tonsillectomy. However, you can still get strep throat even after your tonsils have been removed.
People with strep throat may also develop a rash called scarlet fever. The rash is caused by a toxin GAS bacteria produce. Strep throat is commonly caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria. As a highly contagious bacterial infection, it can quickly be shared via contaminates in the air, food, and other public areas exposed to the bacteria. Those with comorbidities and weakened immune systems are at greater risk of contraction and can easily fall victim to frequent strep throat.
This occurs when the condition recurs more than seven times in a single year. Approximately million people around the world contract strep throat each year. Unfortunately, some children and adults are affected by the bacterial infection on a recurring basis. In recent studies, professionals found that some children are predisposed to group A bacteria and have a poor germinal center response on the tonsils.
This means there is a lack of infection-fighting antibodies needed to successfully drive the bacteria away. In most cases, the strep bacteria in these individuals will lay dormant and can leave those at risk for future infections. Recurring strep throat may be treated with a tonsillectomy, which is a simple outpatient procedure to remove the tonsils and adenoids. Unfortunately, streptococcal bacteria spread quickly, and individuals with strep throat can be contagious for up to a few days before they start showing symptoms.
This means that someone who has not gotten sick yet can spread the disease. Once your child begins to show symptoms, they will continue to be contagious until they begin antibiotic treatment. After 24 hours of antibiotic treatment, strep throat is usually no longer contagious. Strep throat will not resolve on its own and can cause complications if left untreated. When caught early, strep throat is usually easier to manage, and the infection is short-lived.
This means less downtime for your child and less time out of school or daycare. At Penguin Pediatrics, we see many cases of strep throat every year, especially during cold and flu season. If the test is positive, our physicians will prescribe antibiotics and discuss home care routines to help your child feel better.
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