How Can I Get Better?
If you have strep throat, your doctor will give you an antibiotic,
a medicine that kills bacteria. To make sure the bacteria go away completely and don't
spread to other parts of your body, you must finish all of the medicine. Your doctor
will have you take the pills or liquid for 10 days.
It's really important to take all 10 days of the medicine to make sure
all the bad bacteria are gone. If you don't, you could get sick all over
again.
Your mom or dad may give you acetaminophen (say: uh-see-tuh-MIN-uh-fin) to get
rid of aches, pains, and fever. You'll want to have soothing drinks, like tea and
warm chicken soup. Frozen foods like ice cream or popsicles also can help to ease
throat pain. Avoid spicy and acidic foods, such as orange juice, because they could
hurt your tender throat.
Your doctor will tell you to stay home from school until you have been taking the
antibiotic for at least 24 hours. This way, you won't spread the bacteria to others.
Is Strep Throat Contagious?
Strep throat is very contagious, and anybody can get it.
It happens a lot in kids and teens, especially during the school year when big groups
of kids are together.
How Do People Get Strep Throat?
Strep throat is spread when healthy people come into contact
with someone who has it. The bacteria can spread to you when a person with strep throat
sneezes, coughs, or blows his or her nose and you're nearby, or if you share the same
forks, spoons, or straws.
If you get strep throat, you'll start to feel sick within
5 days after you were around the person who gave it to you.
Can I Prevent Strep Throat?
If someone in your house has strep throat, you might get it. But following these
tips can help protect you:
- Make sure the person with strep throat covers his or her mouth when sneezing and
coughing.
- Don't handle used tissues or other germy items.
- Wash your hands regularly,
especially before eating.
- Wash dishes, drinking glasses, knives, forks, and spoons in hot, soapy water.
- Keep sores and cuts clean because strep can get in your skin and cause problems,
too.
Strep throat is no fun, but after feeling sick for 2 or 3 days, most kids start
getting back to normal. In other words, they feel less streppy and more peppy!
Date reviewed: September 2017