Strep Throat

Strep throat usually causes sudden throat pain and difficulty swallowing. Often, it also causes the tonsils, the specialized lymph nodes located on either side of your throat, just behind and above your tongue, to be red and swollen. If your child has strep throat, you may also see white streaks or patches of pus or may also have a gray or white coating on your child's tonsils. 

Group A streptococci are bacteria. They cause throat infections, pharyngitis, especially during cold winter months when people are crowded together indoors. Strep A bacteria spread from person to person through fluid droplets from the nose or throat of someone with a strep infection.

Strep throat symptoms include:

• Swollen, tender lymph glands in the neck 
• Fever 
• Headache 
• Rash 
• Throat pain
• Stomachache and sometimes vomiting, especially in younger children 
• Difficulty swallowing 
• Red and swollen tonsils, white patches or streaks 

It's possible for you or your child to have many of these signs and symptoms but not have strep throat. The cause of these signs and symptoms could be a virus, tonsillitis or other illnesses. Complications are rare but may occur, especially if it is not properly treated with antibiotics. That's why your doctor may test specifically for strep throat.

Strep Throat Symptoms to S