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Helen DeVos

Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
100 Michigan Street NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
616.391.9000


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.