Strep Throat

We are not yet seeing much strep throat, but it tends to come with the start of school. 

If your child has a fever, sore throat, headache, or stomachache without any other viral symptoms like congestion or cough, it may be strep throat.

Bacteria called Group A strep cause this type of sore throat. To diagnose strep throat, a throat swab can be done to help differentiate between a virus as the cause or this bacteria. Antibiotics are not helpful if it is a virus, but very beneficial if it is bacterial. If the rapid strep test in our office is negative, we can send a second swab (done at the same time as the first, no worries about going back for another swab!) for culture.

Learn more about strep here.