Colds & Flu Comparison Chart

Strep? Or Just Another Sore Throat??
Sore throats are common in childhood. They can be brief and the result of postnasal drip from a cold or breathing in dry air from heating or air conditioning systems. Or they can be symptoms of infections caused by a virus or bacteria.

It's important to be able to recognize when a sore throat is probably nothing to worry about and when to see a doctor so you can take appropriate action early.

In general, a sore throat probably doesn't require action if it lasts a few hours or just a day and the child is feeling fine otherwise. But if it persists longer than a day or if it is accompanied by a fever, it's important to have a doctor perform a throat culture to determine whether there is a viral or bacterial infection. Bacterial infections can become quite serious if left untreated.

With a viral sore throat, symptoms tend to develop gradually:

Viral Sore Throat symptoms include:

• general fatigue
• fever of 101-103 degrees
• in some cases coughing, hoarseness and nasal congestion

Viral sore throats may be symptoms of colds, mumps or infections of the tonsils or adenoids. Unfortunately they can't be treated with medications, but must run their course. Call the doctor if they last more than a week.

Strep throat, named after streptococcus, the bacteria that causes it, is the most serious type of sore throat. Antibiotics usually clear up Strep throat quickly, but if it is left untreated, it can cause severe kidney inflammation, rheumatic fever or scarlet fever.
 

Symptoms of step throat include:

• Fever as high as 104 degrees
• headache, loss of appetite, general ill feeling
• swollen lymph nodes in the neck
• abdominal pain and occasionally, ear pain.
• bad breath
• a red rash under the armpits or elsewhere.

To ease the discomfort, encourage an older child to gargle with warm salt water (1 tsp. salt to 8 oz. water), give a non-aspirin fever and pain reliever if necessary, encourage intake of liquids, use a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier to ease breathing and give foods the chid can swallow easily.

Call the doctor if:

• the fever subsides with treatment then suddenly returns
• vomiting, earache, chest pain, shortness of breath or severe headache occurs
• your child develops a cough