Strep
If your child is complaining of a sore throat, with or without a fever, headache, stomachache, and stiff neck, it is possible that he/she may have strep throat.If someone in your family or at school has strep throat, there is a chance that you may get it. Strep throat is spread when healthy people come into contact with people who have it. When a person with strep throat coughs, sneezes, or blows their nose and you are close by, the bacteria can spread to you.
Strep throat is a disease caused by bacteria called Streptococcus Pyogenes. These bacteria cause 10% of all sore throats and are found in your throat and on your skin. Your doctor will look in your child's mouth to see if their throat is red and their tonsils are swollen and covered with white or yellow spots. The doctor will also look for small red spots on the roof of your child's mouth. Many viruses cause sore throats too, so to prove what you have is strep throat, your doctor may do one or two tests.
- First, he can do a Rapid Strep Test to check for the bacteria that causes strep throat. The doctor will rub a cotton swab over the back of your throat and then send it to the lab. This test is relatively quick, yielding results in less than 20 minutes.
- Second, if the Rapid test doesn't prove anything, then your doctor may do a longer test called a Throat Culture. Again a cotton swab is rubbed over the back of your throat and then rubbed on a special dish. If you have strep throat, streptococci bacteria will usually grow in the dish by the next day.
There really is no way to keep from getting strep throat. The best way to stop the spread of strep bacteria is to wash your hands after sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose, and before cooking and eating. Don't share drinking glasses or eating utensils until your child has been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
Your child needs to be kept home from school until he/she has been on antibiotics for 24 hours. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the building nurse at your child's school.
