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Barbara Bush Children's Hospital

The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital
At Maine Medical Center

22 Bramhall Street
Portland, Maine 04102-3175
www.bbch.org


What's Tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis

Say: tahn-suh-LYE-tus

Your tonsils are at the back of your throat. They help keep bad germs from getting into the rest of your body. But sometimes bacteria and viruses get into tonsils and they get infected. This is called tonsillitis. Kids with tonsillitis have trouble swallowing and their throats hurt a lot. Some kids will need to take antibiotics to get better.