Your throat may feel rough and scratchy if you have strep throat, a bacterial infection. Group A Streptococcus, also called group A strep, is the bacteria that causes strep throat. This distinguishes strep throat from most other sore throat conditions brought on by viruses.

If left untreated for a long, strep throat can lead to problems, including kidney irritation or rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever manifests as a specific kind of rash, heart valve damage, and painful, inflamed joints.

Strep throat most frequently affects children, although it can happen to anybody. Consult your doctor immediately for testing and strep throat medication if you or your kid exhibit any of the following symptoms.

Symptoms

• Throat discomfort that typically develops suddenly
• Swallowing pain
• Neck lymph nodes that are swollen and sore
• Red and swollen tonsils occasionally with pus-filled white spots or streaks.
• Little red dots on the soft or hard palate near the back of the mouth.
• Fever
• Headache
• Rash
• Vomiting or nausea, especially in young children
• Body pains.

The cause of the above symptoms could be a viral infection or some other illness. That’s why your Healthcare provider generally tests specifically for strep throat.

Strep throat treatment

Antibiotics eradicate the germs that cause infections. Common antibiotics used by medical professionals to treat strep throat include penicillin and amoxicillin. The doctor can recommend a different antibiotic if you are allergic to penicillin.

Your doctor may give an antibiotic in pill or liquid form, give you an antibiotic shot, or both. The typical dosage is ten days of tablets or liquid. Follow the advice of your provider. Even if you feel better, you must take the whole prescribed dosage since the germs may still be alive.

It is contagious

Does strep throat spread easily? Yes. Strep throat can spread quickly. Some infected individuals exhibit no symptoms or show a healthy appearance. However, even if you don’t exhibit any symptoms, you can infect others rapidly. However, those who have symptoms or seem ill are more infectious than those who don’t.

How is strep throat transmitted? It is relatively easy for people to contract strep throat from one another, especially those who live in the same home. You can transmit the bacteria that causes strep throat to other people through direct contact and respiratory droplets.

Prevention

Always sanitize your hands.

The most effective method of preventing any infections is proper hand washing. Therefore, it’s crucial to periodically wash your hands appropriately for at least 20 seconds. Teach your kids how to properly wash their hands with soap and water or, in the absence of soap and water, how to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Keep your mouth shut.

Teach your kids to disguise their mouths when they cough or sneeze with an elbow or a tissue.

Don’t exchange personal items.

Never swap drinking or eating utensils. Use hot, soapy water to wash the plates.

Conclusion

If left untreated, strep throat can progress to more severe conditions. Therefore, it’s critical to start taking antibiotics right away. Call your doctor if you don’t feel better one to two days after taking the antibiotic.