{"id":3148,"date":"2020-02-24T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T14:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=3148"},"modified":"2023-08-09T02:36:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T09:36:36","slug":"does-my-kid-have-strep-throat-6-things-to-understand-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/does-my-kid-have-strep-throat-6-things-to-understand-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Does My Kid Have Strep Throat? 6 Things to Understand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I have a running joke with a good friend about how many times her children have been tested for strep throat. Many \u2013 and they\u2019ve never actually had it! It\u2019s fun to tease, but honestly, I get it. How\u2019s a parent to know when a sore throat is strep throat? And isn\u2019t it scary not to treat strep throat? Here are some of the responses to common questions I often share in my office \u2013 and with my best friends:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s always okay to call or email your pediatrician asking to have your child tested. <\/strong>There are some signs that make it more likely your child has strep. Strep throat usually has a rapid onset of sore throat, trouble swallowing, fever, enlarged lymph nodes (commonly called \u201cglands\u201d). It doesn\u2019t tend to come with nasal congestion \u2013 runny nose, cough, hoarse voice, mouth sores, or red eyes. Some younger kids have a stomachache, pain, or nausea. Some kids get a rough red rash on their trunk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Most sore throats are caused by viruses, not bacteria, <\/strong>and don\u2019t require antibiotics. To know for sure if it\u2019s strep throat, a test is needed. Doctors can\u2019t reliably tell just by looking in a child\u2019s throat whether there\u2019s a bacterial infection caused by group A <em>Streptococcus<\/em> (strep). If the test is negative, no antibiotics are needed and a child\u2019s symptoms can be cared for at home with fluids, rest, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and love.<\/li>\n<li><strong>If a test confirms strep throat, antibiotics <em>are<\/em> needed.<\/strong>\u00a0The antibiotics make your child feel better and prevent rare complications of the strep infection, including kidney damage and acute rheumatic fever (which can cause a serious heart condition). This is why it\u2019s important to finish all of the antibiotics even when your child starts to feel better.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strep throat is rare in children under age 3<\/strong> and so are its complications.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strep is contagious<\/strong> and spreads through saliva or nasal secretions shared through close contact with infected children and adults (at school, daycare, or home). It takes 2 to 5 days from contact with these germs to show signs of illness. You can prevent it from spreading by washing your hands frequently and thoroughly. After treatment with an antibiotic for 24 hours, a child is no longer contagious. If they feel better and have not had a fever within 24 hours, they can return to school or daycare.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tonsils only need to be removed very rarely. <\/strong>We used to remove everyone\u2019s tonsils. Now we understand that a tonsillectomy can be risky and only needs to be done in when a child is getting <em>many<\/em> episodes of strep throat each year. Talk with your doctor if you\u2019re concerned your child may need a tonsillectomy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Resources for Parents:<\/h3>\n<p>My Doctor Online<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/structured-content\/#\/Condition_Strep_Throat_-_Pediatrics.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Strep Throat<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/structured-content\/#\/Procedure_Tonsillectomy_and_Adenoidectomy.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/mdo\/presentation\/conditions\/conditionpage.jsp?condition=Procedure_Tonsillectomy_and_Adenoidectomy.xml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/healthtools\/#\/?id=151703\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tonsillectomy with Possible Adenoidectomy for your Child (Emmi)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published on Feb 1, 2018<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have a running joke with a good friend about how many times her children have been tested for strep throat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[158,452,547,180,183,181,182],"class_list":["post-3148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-issues","tag-colds","tag-flu-season","tag-school","tag-sore-throat","tag-strep-throat","tag-tonsillectomy","tag-tonsils","ages-all-school-ages"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1691573797:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":[""],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["106"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["293"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":["strep throat"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["strep throat"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["79"],"_thumbnail_id":["819"],"qode_seo_title":["Does My Kid Have Strep Throat? 6 Things to Understand"],"qode_seo_keywords":["strep throat, sore throat, tonsils, viruses, tonsillectomy, antibiotics, test for strep"],"qode_seo_description":["Most sore throats are caused by viruses, not bacteria, and don\u2019t require antibiotics. To know for sure if it\u2019s strep throat, a test is needed. Strep is contagious. 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