Way in the back of your throat are your tonsils — one on the right and one
on the left. They are part of your body's infection-fighting system to keep you from
getting sick.
But what happens if these infection fighters get infected? Then you have tonsillitis
(say: tahn-suh-LYE-tus).
What Are Tonsils?
The tonsils' job is to help fight germs
that come in through our mouth or nose before they cause infections in the rest of
the body. Usually, tonsils do their job well. But sometimes bacteria or viruses get
into the tonsils and infect them. When this happens, you have tonsillitis.
How Can I Tell if I Have Tonsillitis?
If you have tonsillitis, your throat usually hurts and it's hard to eat, drink,
or even swallow. You also might have a fever.
Here are some other signs that bacteria or a virus are infecting your tonsils:
- red (swollen or irritated) tonsils
- a yellow or white coating on the tonsils
- swollen glands in the neck
- bad breath
- headache
- stomachache

What Will the Doctor Do?
The doctor will ask you how you've been feeling and then look at your tonsils.
He or she will probably use a wooden stick called a tongue depressor to help hold
your tongue down to get a good look at what's going on in there.
The doctor also might look into your nose and ears, listen to your chest, feel
your neck, and look for other signs of infection. Bacteria and viruses both can cause
tonsillitis. It's important for your doctor to know if it's caused by strep bacteria.
If you have this kind of infection, known as strep throat, you need
medicine to kill the strep bacteria.
To check for strep, the doctor will use a long cotton swab to swipe the back of
your throat. This test, called a throat culture, doesn't hurt but
can feel a little weird. Your doctor may use the swab to do a test called a rapid
strep test. Within minutes, this test will tell your doctor if there are any strep
bacteria in your throat. If it's positive, you have strep throat. If it's negative,
the doctor will send a sample to a lab for testing and get the result in a couple
of days.
How Is Tonsillitis Treated?
If the tonsillitis is caused by strep bacteria, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics,
a type of medicine that
kills bacteria. It's very important to take the antibiotics exactly as directed and
to finish the entire prescription — even if you start feeling better in
a few days — or the infection could come back.
If the tonsillitis is caused by a virus, antibiotics won't work and your body will
fight off the infection on its own.
Sometimes kids get an operation
to remove their tonsils, but only if their tonsils get infected a lot or are so big
they make it hard for the kid to breathe at night.
If you get tonsillitis, here are some tips that can help you feel better:
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- If it hurts to swallow regular food, try smooth foods, like flavored gelatin,
soups, ice pops, and applesauce.
- Take it easy until you feel better.
- Wash your hands
well and often.
Soon your tonsils will be back in action and ready to fight germs again!
Date reviewed: October 2019