ZoomCare DIY Health Articles

If your throat is irritated and it’s difficult to swallow, and you also have a fever and swollen lymph nodes, you may have strep throat. Not all sore throat symptoms mean you’re infected with streptococcal bacteria, so it’s important to know the difference between a sore throat and strep.

Symptoms associated with strep throat include:

• High fever of at least 101 degrees Fahrenheit
• Reddened, inflamed tonsils covered in white splotches
• Spots on the roof of your mouth
• Swelling in your lymph nodes

Viral sore throats aren’t classified as strep throat, and are instead caused by some of the same viruses as a cold. Viral sore throats can accompany other cold-like symptoms including sneezes, coughs, and nasal drip.

Strep throat bacteria also attack your body much faster than a viral sore throat, which means you’ll likely show symptoms faster if you have strep. You should notice strep symptoms within five days of exposure.

Strep throat is a highly contagious bacterial infection. It’s generally spread through person-to-person contact with infected body fluids.

Common ways to spread strep throat include shaking hands with someone who has strep bacteria on their hands, or inhaling airborne droplets from someone’s cough or sneeze. You can also pick up strep from touching infected objects in the office or your home.

Think you have strep? ZOOM+Care tests for strep throat on site at all of our Portland, Seattle, Salem, and Vancouver neighborhood clinics.

Even though strep throat won’t clear up without antibiotics, in most cases it isn’t life-threatening.

However, you should seek immediate medical attention if you have difficulty breathing. Also, children should see a doctor immediately if any of the following apply:

• All children: fever above 104 degrees Fahrenheit
• Children 12 weeks or younger: fever above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• Children under 2-years-old: any fever lasting more than 24 hours
• Children 2-years-old and above: any fever lasting more than 72 hours