Newsletter

The following article on Strep Throat was contributed by Dr. Valerie Rubin from our office. Dr. Rubin did her medical school and pediatric training at UCSD and was Chief Resident there. She joined us in January 2002.

Strep Throat

September heralds a new school year – at least for those students who are on a more traditional school schedule. If your child is in a classroom this fall, you may receive notices from the school mentioning that “Strep throat” has been diagnosed in youngsters in your child’s classroom environment. 

What is Strep? Strep throat is a bacterial infection, generally of the pharynx (the medical term for throat), caused by Group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus. Typical symptoms of Strep throat include fever, sore throat, headache, stomachache, and even a rash. If they get the rash, it is a fine, red sandpapery rash, most prominent in areas like the groin, neck, under the arms and then spreading to other areas. Many children will complain of their headache or tummy before mentioning their throat!

What does the throat look like in Strep? The tonsils will usually be enlarged and beefy red. There may be (but doesn’t have to be) white pus on the tonsils. If the tonsils appear to have blisters or small individual sores on them, this may be more indicative of a viral infection. Many viral infections will cause throats to look just like they are infected with Strep, so it is very difficult to diagnose Strep infections accurately without a throat swab performed during a medical visit. In our office we usually will do a rapid antigen test, which gives results in minutes. The other test for Strep is the traditional culture, which takes 2-3 days of waiting to see whether the Strep bacteria grows from the swab.

Who is at risk for Strep? Strep throat is most co! mm! on in the school-aged child (5 – 15 years), but can be seen in those younger and older. However, it is very uncommon in infants under a year.

How is Strep throat treated? Strep throat should be treated with systemic (oral or injected) antibiotics. Oral antibiotics are usually prescribed for a ten day course, and it is very important to take them all! Most children will feel better 24-48 hours after starting their medication and may then return to school. In addition to making children feel better quickly, the treatment of Strep throat with antibiotics can help to prevent, thankfully rare, but potentially serious complications such as rheumatic fever (heart disease). 

Other Reminders:

If coming in to get "shots only" for your child, please call us the day you plan to come in. You do not need an actual appointment, but we like to make sure we have the shots for you (due to many manufacturing shortages, we have experienced many delays in delivery of vaccines) and we can also pull your chart ahead of time to speed up the process when you arrive.

Don't forget to visit My Kids Doctor Visit to learn about various illnesses and when it may be important to call the doctor and when it is OK to wait.