Strep Throat Facts For Parents

Some cases of strep throat have been reported from your child's school or classroom. Strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils. Anyone can get strep throat; however it is more common in children 5-15 years of age. People can get strep throat more than once.

The bacteria that causes strep throat travels in respiratory droplets that are created when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get sick if you breathe in those droplets, or touch something that has the droplets on it and then touch your mouth or nose.

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
  

Health care providers test for strep throat by swabbing the throat and testing for the bacteria.

If diagnosed with strep throat, you may be prescribed antibiotics by your health care provider. It is important to take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed even when one starts to feel better. Not finishing the full course of medication can result in a longer infection or more serious complications.

The symptoms of strep throat usually include the following:

• Sore throat can start very quickly and can cause severe pain when swallowing
• Fever
  
• Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
  
• Tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth
  
• Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck
  

Other symptoms may include headache, nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain.

• CDC Strep Throat: All You Need to Know