Strep Throat
Strep throat is a sore throat caused by streptococcal bacteria. It is more common in children ages 4-11 years of age than in older children and adults. Symptoms of strep throat include sore throat and at least one of the following:
Fever of 101 degrees or higher. Some older children will experience only a low-grade fever.
White or yellow coating on the tonsils.
Swollen glands in the neck.
Listlessness, headache, stomachache, and extremely severe sore throat.
Strep Throat can occur with very few symptoms. The only way to be sure is to check with your child's doctor. Definite diagnosis of strep throat is done by a throat culture by the child's health care provider. The treatment for strep is antibiotics. Please let the school nurse know if your child is diagnosed with Strep Throat.
Children with Strep Throat can return to school when:
They have been on an antibiotic for 24 hours
And their temperature is normal (under 100F) without Tylenol or Ibuprofen for 24 hours.
Most sore throats are caused by viruses and often accompany a cold. A sore throat is accompanied by runny or stuffy nose and cough is probably caused a virus and antibiotics will not help.
Contact your health care provider in the event of:
Sore throat with above symptoms.
A rash occurs with sore throat. (Scarlet fever is a rash that may occur when there is a strep infection.)
Difficulty swallowing or difficult breathing.
A sore throat the cause of which cannot be traced to an allergy, cold, or other throat irritation.
A mild sore throat that lasts longer than two weeks.