Strep Throat
Your child woke up complaining of a scratchy throat and is having difficulty swallowing.
Is this just a run-of-the-mill sore throat, or could it be strep?
Head into Liberty Urgent Care today to find out. We can run a rapid strep test to determine if that sore throat is strep throat and prescribe antibiotics if needed.
What is strep throat?
Strep throat is a contagious infection of the throat and tonsils caused by group A streptococcus bacteria. These bacteria spread easily through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get strep by breathing in these droplets, touching a door knob where they are present, or by sharing food or drinks with someone who is sick. The illness is most prevalent in children, and commonly occurs during late fall and early spring.
Strep Throat Symptoms
- Sore throat and difficulty swallowing
- Red, swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches
- Tiny red spots at the back of your mouth
- Swollen lymph nodes in the front of your neck
- Headache
- Fever
Other, less common symptoms include body aches, nausea and vomiting, and a specific rash known as scarlet fever.
If you or your child is suffering from any symptoms that may indicate strep, it’s important to see a medical provider. Untreated strep throat can cause serious complications such as kidney inflammation and rheumatic fever.
How We Diagnose and Treat Strep Throat
If you are worried about strep throat, simply walk into Liberty Urgent Care. We are open 7 days a week and offer onsite strep testing. A provider can perform a physical exam and run a simple rapid antigen test to detect strep bacteria. He or she will swab your throat and test the swab to see if any antigens are present, with results available in just a few minutes.
If the test is positive, your provider can prescribe a course of antibiotics to fight the infection. Antibiotics can lessen the severity of your symptoms, reduce the duration of the infection, and prevent the spread of infection to others. With treatment, you should start to feel better within 1-2 days.
If the rapid strep test is negative, but strep throat still seems likely, your provider may also take a throat culture swab.
Feel better faster. Walk into Liberty Urgent Care or check in online to save time!