Exposure (Close Contact)

• Household Close Contact. Lives with a person whose Strep test was positive. This can be a sibling, parent, or other household member.
• Kissing relationship with someone (boyfriend, girlfriend) who has a positive Strep test.  
• Close contact should be within 10 days of onset of symptoms in exposed child. Reason: Time from contact to Strep symptoms usually is 2 to 5 days.  

Other Types of Contact

• Limited contact with Strep. Contact with someone outside the home with a positive Strep test. This type of contact occurs at school.
• Sometimes, the contact is with someone who was treated for Strep without testing.
• Children taking antibiotics for over 24 hours do not spread Strep to others.
• Throat cultures and rapid Strep tests aren't urgent. Most can be done in your doctor's office.

Return to School:

• If your child has no symptoms, he does not need to miss any school.
• If your child has symptoms, he needs to get a Strep test. He should not go to school until this is done. He can go to school if the Strep test is negative.

1. What You Should Know:
   • A Strep test is not urgent.
   • It could be a Strep throat or just a viral infection of the throat.
   • A sore throat is often part of a cold.
   • Until you get a Strep test, here is some care advice that should help.
2. Sore Throat Relief:
   • Age over 1 year. Can sip warm fluids such as chicken broth or apple juice.
   • Age over 6 years. Can also suck on hard candy or lollipops. Butterscotch seems to help.
   • Age over 8 years. Can also gargle. Use warm water with a little table salt added. A liquid antacid can be added instead of salt. Use Mylanta or the store brand. No prescription is needed.
   • Medicated throat sprays or lozenges are generally not helpful.
3. Pain Medicine:
   • To help with the pain, give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen. Use as needed. See Dose Table.
4. Fever:
   • For fevers above 102° F (39° C), give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen. See Dose Table. Note: Lower fevers are important for fighting infections.
   • For ALL fevers: Keep your child well hydrated. Give lots of cold fluids.
   • For babies, dress lightly. Don't wrap in too many blankets. Reason: Can make the fever higher.
5. Fluids and Soft Diet:
   • Try to get your child to drink adequate fluids.
   • Goal: keep your child well hydrated.
   • Cold drinks, milk shakes, popsicles, slushes, and sherbet are good choices.
   • Solids. Offer a soft diet. Also avoid foods that need much chewing. Avoid citrus, salty, or spicy foods. Note: Fluid intake is much more important than eating any solids.
   • Swollen tonsils can make some solid foods hard to swallow.
6. Return to School:
   • Your child may have a Strep throat infection. Wait for the result of the rapid Strep test. If it is negative, your child can go back to school.
7. Call Your Doctor If:
   • Your child becomes worse

1. What You Should Know:
   • Many children have contact with someone with Strep throat. Most will not come down with an infection. This is especially true if the contact occurs outside the home.
   • Strep tests are not needed for children without any symptoms.
2. Time It Takes to Get Strep Throat:
   • Time from contact to Strep symptoms usually is 2 to 5 days.  
3. Return to School:
   • If your child has no symptoms, he does not need to miss any school.
4. Call Your Doctor If:
   • Your child gets any Strep symptoms in the next 7 days