What Is Strep Throat?
Strep throat is an infection caused by a type ofbacteria called group A strep (or GAS).
Strep throat usually requires a trip to the doctor and treatment with antibiotics. With the proper medical care — along with plenty of rest and fluids — you should feel better in no time.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Strep Throat?
Most sore throats are caused by viruses. If you have a runny nose, cough, hoarseness, and red or runny eyes, it's probably a virus and will clear up on its own.
Strep throat is different. Signs that you may have strep throat include:
- sore throatthat comes on quickly and is especially painful when swallowing
- a fever
- red and swollen tonsilswith white patches or streaks on them
- painful or swollen neck glands(lymph nodes)
If you have any of these symptoms, it's definitely time to see your doctor.
Is Strep Throat Contagious?
Strep throat is very contagious. Anybody can get it, but most cases are in school-age kids and teens ages 5 to 15. Infections are common during the school year,with peaks in winter and early spring, when big groups of students are in close contact.
How Do People Get Strep Throat?
The bacteria that cause strep throat tend to hang out in the nose and throat. So normal activities like talking, sneezing, coughing, or shaking hands can easily spread an infection from one person to another. People also can get infected if they touch a surface with the bacteria on it, then touch their nose or mouth.
People with untreated strep throat are more likely to spread the infection when their symptoms are most severe, but can still infect others for up to 3 weeks.
After they get infected, people can spread the bacteria to others for a few days before they have any symptoms.That's why it's so important to wash your handswell and often. This can lower your chances of getting contagious diseases like strep throat.
How Is Strep Throat Diagnosed?
Doctors might do a rapid strep test right in the office. They'll use a swab to take a sample of the fluids at the back of your throat. It usually only takes a few minutes to find out if you've got strep throat.
If the first test doesn't prove anything, then your doctor might do a longer swab test called a throat culture. The results are usually available within a couple of days.
How Is Strep Throat Treated?
Doctors usually prescribe 10 days of antibiotic medicine to treat strep throat. Even though strep throat can go away on its own after about a week, antibiotics can help make a person feel better faster and can keep the infection from spreading to other people.
Within about 12 hours after starting on antibiotics, you probably won't have a fever and won't be contagious. By the second or third day, other symptoms should start to go away. Most teens can go back to school when they've taken antibiotics for at least 12 hours and no longer have a fever.
Even when you feel better, keep taking the antibiotics as prescribed. This is the best way to kill the harmful bacteria. Otherwise, bacteria can stay in the throat and symptoms can come back. Taking all the antibiotics also prevents other health problems that GAS can cause, such as rheumatic fever (which can cause heart damage),kidney disease, or more serious infections in other parts of the body.
Can Strep Throat Be Prevented?
If someone in your house has strep throat, follow these tips to help protect yourself from getting it:
- The person with strep throat should cover their mouth when sneezing and coughing. If they don't have a tissue handy, they should cough or sneeze into their elbow —nottheir hands!
- Don't touch used tissues or other germy items.
- Wash your handswell and often, especially before eating.
- Don't share food, drinks, napkins, handkerchiefs, or towels.
- Wash dishes, drinking glasses, knives, forks, and spoons in hot, soapy water.
If you're the one who's sick, use new toothbrush after you start taking the antibiotics and are no longer contagious.
How Can I Feel Better?
Drink lots of cool liquids, especially if you have a fever, so you don't get dehydrated. Stay away from orange juice, lemonade, and other acidic drinks because they can sting your throat. Frozen foods such as ice cream or popsicles can help to numb throat soreness. Warm liquids like soups, tea with honey, or hot chocolate also can be soothing.
For fever and pain, your doctor may suggest an over-the-counter medicine, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Follow the package directions on how much to take and when.
FAQs
Conclusions: In our experience, a shorter antibiotic course (5-7 days) is not less effective or more unsafe for management of acute streptococcal pharyngitis than the traditional 10-day course.
What age group is most likely to get strep throat? ›
Overview. Sore throats can be caused by many types of bacteria, viruses and allergies, but strep throat—most common in children between ages 5 and 15—has its own tell-tale signs.
Can students go to school with strep throat? ›
People with strep throat should stay home from work, school, daycare, or activities until they no longer have a fever and have taken antibiotics for at least 12 hours.
How many days of school do you miss with strep throat? ›
Once a person with strep throat has been taking antibiotics for 24 hours and has no fever, they can return to work, school or daycare and not worry about infecting others.
Is 5 days on amoxicillin enough? ›
Many cases are viral and cannot be treated by antibiotics. According to the Infectious Disease Society of America's guidelines, the duration of treatment for bacterial infections should be 5 to 10 days. A meta-analysis completed in Britain determined that a 5-day course is as effective as a 10-day course.
Can I take amoxicillin for 7 days instead of 10? ›
“Shorter courses of three to seven days are proven to be just as effective as longer, traditional courses, and can have less harmful side effects,” says Rachel Kenney, Pharm. D., a Henry Ford pharmacist who is co-leading an initiative under the health system's Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.
Why don't kids under 2 get strep? ›
Most babies have protective antibodies and immunity from their moms, Malka explains. Plus, due to the small size of an infant's tonsils, it's harder for strep bacteria to multiply and create an infection. While strep throat is rare among kids under 3 years of age, it becomes more common between the ages of 5 and 15.
Can you get strep at 14? ›
Strep throat is very contagious. Anybody can get it, but most cases are in school-age kids and teens ages 5 to 15. Infections are common during the school year, with peaks in winter and early spring, when big groups of students are in close contact.
Why is strep so bad this year? ›
Several scientists agreed it may be a sheer numbers game, where higher rates of other illnesses — including old staples like flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as COVID-19 — are providing strep bacteria with a massive pool of people already weakened by other infections.
Do parents get strep from kids? ›
The bacteria is also often spread to others in the household if a family member has strep throat. Kids with untreated strep throat are more likely to spread the infection when their symptoms are most severe, but can still infect others for up to 3 weeks.
Strep throat can be contagious for about 2-3 weeks in individuals who are not taking antibiotics. However, individuals who do take antibiotics for strep throat usually are no longer contagious about 24- 48 hours after initiating antibiotic therapy.
What does strep throat look like in adults? ›
What does strep throat look like? If you have strep throat, your throat and tonsils may appear red, sore and swollen. You may also have white patches, spots or streaks of pus on your throat and tonsils. In addition, you may develop tiny, red spots on the roof of your mouth called petechiae.
How to avoid getting strep throat from a family member? ›
The following steps can prevent the spread of strep throat:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
- Avoid sharing eating utensils with someone who is sick with strep throat.
- When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, or your upper sleeve or elbow if you don't have a tissue.
Strep throat typically goes away in three to seven days with or without antibiotic treatment. However, if you don't take antibiotics, you can remain contagious for two to three weeks and are at a higher risk for complications, such as rheumatic fever.
What happens if you don't treat strep throat for a week? ›
If untreated, strep throat can cause complications, such as kidney inflammation or rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can lead to painful and inflamed joints, a specific type of rash, or heart valve damage. Strep throat is most common in children, but it affects people of all ages.
What does 7 days of amoxicillin treat? ›
It is used to treat bacterial infections, such as chest infections (including pneumonia) and dental abscesses. It can also be used together with other antibiotics and medicines to treat stomach ulcers. It's often prescribed for children, to treat ear infections and chest infections.
Should I take amoxicillin 500mg for 5 or 7 days? ›
250 mg 3 times a day for 7–14 days. 500 mg 3 times a day for 7–14 days.
What is the shortest course of antibiotics for strep throat? ›
Short-term (5 days or less) of antibiotic therapy and standard longer courses (7 days or more).
Is amoxicillin good after 7 days? ›
Amoxicillin capsules and tablets have an expiry of around 2 years and, provided they are stored as recommended and in the original packaging, there will be a small lee way of safety if used beyond expiry. Amoxicillin suspension is different and has a very short shelf life of about 7-10 days once it is prepared.
