Strep throat is a disease caused by a tiny ball-shaped type of bacteria (say: bak-TEER-ee-uh) called group A streptococcus (say: strep-tuh-KAH-kus).
If a kid has strep throat, the doctor will give them medicine called an antibiotic (say: an-tye-bye-AH-tik) to kill the strep bacteria. That's good news because sometimes strep throat can get worse and cause problems with other parts of a kid's body. For example, untreated strep can cause kidney problems or heart problems from a disease called rheumatic (say: roo-MA-tick) fever.
Most of the time kids get the medicine they need and recover from strep throat very quickly. After taking the medicine for 24 hours, you will feel a lot better and will no longer be contagious.
If you have a sore throat, your doctor will look into your mouth. He or she looking for:
Most of the time, strep will give you a sore throat, headache, stomachache, and fever. It probably won't give you a runny nose or cough.
To be sure you have strep throat, your doctor may do one or two tests:
First, he or she can do a rapid strep test to check for strep bacteria. The doctor rubs a cotton swab over the back of your throat. Then, the doctor can find out in a few minutes if you have strep throat.
If the first test doesn't prove anything, your doctor might do a longer test called a throat culture. Again, the doctor will use a cotton swab. This time, the sample goes on a special dish and is left to sit for 2 nights. If you have strep throat, the bacteria will usually grow in the dish within 1–2 days.
If you have strep throat, your doctor will give you an antibiotic, a medicine that kills bacteria. To make sure the bacteria go away completely and don't spread to other parts of your body, you must finish all of the medicine. Your doctor will have you take the pills or liquid for 10 days.
It's really important to take all 10 days of the medicine to make sure all the bad bacteria are gone. If you don't, you could get sick all over again.
Your mom or dad may give you acetaminophen (say: uh-see-tuh-MIN-uh-fin) to get rid of aches, pains, and fever. You'll want to have soothing drinks, like tea and warm chicken soup. Frozen foods like ice cream or popsicles also can help to ease throat pain. Avoid spicy and acidic foods, such as orange juice, because they could hurt your tender throat.
Your doctor will tell you to stay home from school until you have been taking the antibiotic for at least 24 hours. This way, you won't spread the bacteria to others.
Strep throat is very contagious, and anybody can get it. It happens a lot in kids and teens, especially during the school year when big groups of kids are together.
Strep throat is spread when healthy people come into contact with someone who has it. The bacteria can spread to you when a person with strep throat sneezes, coughs, or blows their nose and you're nearby, or if you share the same forks, spoons, or straws.
If you get strep throat, you'll start to feel sick within 5 days after you were around the person who gave it to you.
If someone in your house has strep throat, you might get it. But following these tips can help protect you:
Strep throat is no fun, but after feeling sick for 2 or 3 days, most kids start getting back to normal. In other words, they feel less streppy and more peppy!
Reviewed by: Rachel S. Schare, MD
Date Reviewed: Apr 10, 2022
