Strep Throat
 Description: Swollen throat Image copyright: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19694.htm |
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Strep Throat can easily be caught and spread, it can be spread through sneezes, coughs, or a simple handshake. You will know that you have it if you have a sore throat, tender swollen glands, headache, stomach pain, fever, discomfort, no appetite, or a rash. To see if you have Strep Throat the doctor will swab your throat with a cotton swab. First they will do a rapid test which takes a short amount of time, this will tell if you have Strep Throat. They will also do a throat culture which is when they take the swab, put it on a plate, and let it sit for 1-2 days, if it is positive (you have Strep Throat) it will grow bacteria on the swab, if it is negative (you don’t have Strep Throat) nothing will happen. If it is positive they will call you and put you on an antibiotic called penicillin. You can get this as a shot, liquid, or pill, you have to take it for ten days. If you stop taking it before the ten days are over you might not get well and it could come back. If you ever get strep throat, do not go to school, strep throat is very contagious. So make sure you do your best to not get strep throat.
The Nemours Foundation. Kids Health.The Scoop on Strep Throat. 1995-2008. http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/strep_throat.html Yahoo. Childhood infections: Strep Throat. 2008. By: Grant |
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