It's normal for kids to get sick, especially during the cold weather months, and if it's flu season. And one of the most common ailments that kids have is a sore throat.
Sore throat can be caused by a lot of things, sometimes it's because your kid ate too much ice cream, drank cold drinks, or ate too much sweets. In general, sore throats are caused by viral infections that kids can easily recover from. However, there are some instances wherein their sore throat is caused by a bacterial infection, and in these cases, a simple case of sore throat can cause fever, and painful swallowing which can cause a lot of discomfort for your little one.
Knowing if you're dealing with a simple case of sore throat, or a bacterial infection, such as strep throat, helps you make better decisions when it comes to caring for your child, as giving your child antibiotics if it's just a case of sore throat won't do a lot. It can sometimes cause problems later on, as too much antibiotic use can cause bacteria to become immune to the antibiotic.
What's the difference between sore throat and strep throat?
In a nutshell, sore throats are caused by a viral infection, while strep throat is caused by a bacterial infection. But when it comes to the symptoms, there are a lot of differences between the two.
For sore throats, the main symptom would be pain in their throat, sometimes a hoarseness in their voice, and having trouble talking. They can also have a runny nose, mouth sores, as well as a cough. In most cases, your child's sore throat would disappear around the time the other symptoms do, which would be about a week's time.
On the other hand, strep throat, or a bacterial infection of the throat, can cause a high fever, as well as pain when they're swallowing. However, strep doesn't have any of the viral symptoms, so they can have pain in their throat, but not the cough or colds associated with sore throat. In some cases, there can also be pus around the tonsils, but this isn't always exclusive to strep throat.
How can it be treated?
For sore throat, drinking warm soup, or ginger tea with honey can help alleviate some of the pain in your child's throat. For the most part, your child just needs to rest, and avoid any cold beverages and sweet food. Sore throat usually goes away just like coughs and colds, so it takes about a week for the symptoms to fully disappear. Regular cough and cold medicine usually does the trick when it comes to alleviating the symptoms.
On the other hand, strep throat can cause a high fever, and it can be painful for your child to swallow; even drinking soup or tea can be very difficult and painful for them. That's why it's important to take your child to the doctor if you suspect that they have strep throat. That way, the doctor can prescribe proper antibiotics and medicine to deal with the bacterial infection in your child's throat.
Strep throat can make your child feel really sick, so make sure to keep them comfortable, and let them rest while their body recuperates.
Source: newparent.com, webmd.com
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