Most people try to push through mild illness. If all you feel is a sore throat, you may think it’s nothing of concern. 

While many sore throats are nothing to worry about, strep throat is a different matter. Strep throat is more than just a cold. This illness can be more disruptive to your health and deserves special attention.

This article will outline what strep throat is, how you can recognize it, and what treatment options are available.

Overview

Strep throat is a bacterial infection that occurs in the lining of your nose and throat. It is caused by a bacteria known as group A streptococcus. This bacteria grows in the throat and nose of a sick person and is easily spread.

A person can catch strep throat directly from a sick person or from shared surfaces. For example, this means you can get it from the droplets of a sick person’s cough, sharing food or drinks, or from touching a doorknob a sick person used. This makes it very easy to transmit. 

According to the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, nearly 600 million people get strep throat worldwide each year. They also find that most cases occur in children, and it spreads most in winter and early spring.

Strep Throat Symptoms

Your symptoms may vary from another person’s. Hence, this list is some of the possible symptoms you might get, not all the symptoms you will get.

• Burning, sore throat
• Pain when swallowing
• Red spots on the back of the throat
• Fever
• Headaches
• Chills
• Loss of appetite

When to Seek Treatment

Strep throat symptoms are tricky because they can mimic other diseases. That is why it is important to know when you should seek treatment.

• If any symptoms last longer than 48 hours
• You experience a fever over 101 ^oF
• If you have chills or body aches

Untreated, this illness can lead to a number of complications. If you suspect that you may have it, find a clinic and get treatment right away.

Strep Throat and Urgent Care

Urgent care clinics are great for treating strep throat because they offer all needed services. Urgent cares offer both kinds of testing, rapid testing and throat cultures. Each test includes a throat swab and provides reliable quickly.

If you do get it, an urgent care can provide the antibiotics you need. Since this is a bacterial infection, antibiotics are the best treatment to break up your infection. An urgent care provider can talk through your treatment options with you.

At many urgent care clinics, insurance covers this treatment. If you do not have insurance, urgent cares often have very affordable self pay pricing.

At Live Urgent Care, we are ready to treat your strep throat. Our urgent care providers can perform testing and prescribe exactly what you need. You can book an appointment ahead of time or walk in to handle your case of strep throat.