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Is your child complaining of a scratchy and sore throat? It could be strep throat. While a vast majority of sore throat is caused by viruses, strep throat is a bacterial infection. About 20% to 30% of children with a sore throat actually have strep throat. Here is everything you need to know about strep throat, reviewed by pediatrician Dr. Eddie Cheung.
Strep throat (streptococcal pharyngitis) is an acute and painful inflammation of the throat due to a bacterium called Group A Streptococcus. It is a contagious yet mild and benign illness that lasts for around 7 days. Strep throat affects people of all ages, but most cases are in children and adolescents aged 5 to 15. It is uncommon in kids under 3 and in adults.
Your child’s doctor can check and confirm the diagnosis by swabbing the back of the throat for a rapid antigen detection test to look for the presence of strep bacteria. If the result comes back as negative, a throat culture will be performed.
Our immune system can usually fight off strep throat without complications. Although they are not common, there is still a risk. Some complications include kidney inflammation, Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections and middle ear inflammation. Acute rheumatic fever is another serious complication that results in the inflammation of the joints or heart, and rash.
As strep throat is contagious, your child should be on antibiotics for at least 24 hours and have no fever when returning to school.
Incubation period: 2-5 days.
Infectious period: At least 24 hours after commencing antibiotic treatment.
Group A Streptococcus can be passed from person to person through respiratory droplets during coughing or sneezing. It can also be spread by sharing food or drinks, or touching surfaces infected with respiratory droplets from patients.
The onset is very sudden. Your child will usually get a sore throat accompanied by any of the following signs and symptoms. They develop in 2-5 days after bacterial exposure and usually go away in 3-5 days.
As mentioned, strep throat in children younger than 3 years old is rare. However, if they get it, they may experience
Infants (aged 1 year or below) may show
You will need to see a doctor to get some antibiotics to treat strep throat.
If your child is experiencing a sore throat with any of the following conditions, seek medical care as soon as possible.
You should also call your GP if you are concerned about the illness, if your child has a weakened immune system or if their symptoms do not improve after 2 days of antibiotic treatment.
Most of the time, sore throats do not require medications or other treatments as they will get better within a week.
Other management options:
Good hygiene is the key to reducing likelihood of developing infections. Follow these tips to prevent getting strep throat and spreading it to others.
Dr. Eddie Cheung 張蔚賢醫生 is a specialist in paediatrics. He received his paediatric training in Queen Mary Hospital and post-fellow paediatric cardiology training in Grantham Hospital/ Queen Mary Hospital. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology, the Vice President of Hong Kong Society of Paediatric Cardiology and Consultant of Hong Kong Association of Cleft Lip and Palate. He is currently working as Director of Paediatric Centre of HK Medical Consultants and serves as Infection Control Officer at the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital.
This article was independently written by Healthy Matters. It is informative only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be relied upon for specific medical advice.
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