How long does strep throat last is a common question asked by most of the people now? So today I come up with a good article to help you about the strep throat problem.
What is Strep Throat?
Strep throat is a bacterial infection caused by a bacteria named “Streptococcus bacteria”. Strep throat causes inflammation and severe pain in the throat. Even though it affects the person of all ages, it is more common among children’s between the age group 5-15.
Is Strep Throat Contagious?
Yes, Strep throat is very contagious.
Strep throat infection spreads from one person to another during Sneezing and coughing.
How long does strep throat last?
How long does strep throat last without medicine?
Without any treatment, strep throat lasts for a week time. It will recover without any medicine and you may be contagious for 1-2 weeks.
How long does strep throat last with taking Antibiotics?
If you take antibiotics, strep throat lasts for 1-2 days. And you won’t be contagious after 24 hours of taking antibiotics. The symptoms rarely last longer than 5 days.
How do you get strep throat?
As I said earlier, it spreads by contacting the infected person.
Even kissing, sharing dishes, sneezes, coughs, even breathes can spread strep throat from an infected person
The highly strep throat infection areas are schools, household contacts, day care centers, military barracks, offices, etc.(Ref)
Symptoms of Strep throat
- Chills
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Headache
- Loss of appetite
- Rashes
- Sore stomach
- Sore or red throat with white patches
- Sudden fever
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
Antibiotics for strep throat
Antibiotics such as penicillin , Cephalosporins or amoxicillin will be prescribed by your doctor. Don’t go for antibiotics without your doctor’s advice.
A sore throat vs Strep throat
A sore throat and strep throat exhibit more common symptoms. The key differences are strep throat has some additional symptoms such as loss of appetite, rashes, headaches, and fever.
A sore throat is caused by viruses, other diseases, environmental factors, etc. But strep throat is only caused by the Streptococcus bacteria.
How to Prevent the Spreading of Strep Throat
- Wash your hands often.
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
- Avoid sharing utensils.
- Don’t share the dishes or drinking glasses.
Home Remedies for Strep throat
Home remedies help you to recover faster. Try these home remedies
1. Drink Warm Liquids
Warm liquids may ease your throat and make you feel comfortable. You can take a cup of tea, coffee, etc. to make your throat ease from infection.
Warm lemon water too gives you some good relief.
2. Saltwater Gargling
Salt water gargling is one of the efficient methods to ease your strep throat. Add a teaspoon of salt in a warm water.
Gargle it for 5 minutes. You can feel the difference.
3. Suck on lozenges or hard candy
These make your throat ease and helps in faster recovery.
4. Drink plenty of fluids
You may lose the fluid contents from your body due to fever. So in order to avoid dehydration, drink a lot of fluids.
The American Lung Association suggest drinking at least 8 glasses (250 ml each) of water daily to feel better during these days.
5. Ginger Tea
As per the Ayurveda and the recent research study, ginger can boost up your immune system and effectively fight against human respiratory Syncytial virus.
You can eat fresh ginger slices or dry ginger or drink a cup of ginger tea.
This post will help you to make Ginger Tea.
6. Drink herbal tea
Herbal teas are always welcome to treat strep throat infection. Try some of the below herbal teas to ease your throat.
- Green Tea
- Licorice Tea
- Mullein Tea
Hope I answered your query about how long does strep throat last. Take antibiotics and these home remedies to get instant relief from the strep throat.
