A
bacterial disease that is caused by the infection of the
pharynx by
Streptococcus bacteria. It is
transferred between
children and occurs between the months of
October and
April. That's because the
medium of transmission is
mucus, and kids tend to have
runny noses during these months. Symptoms include:
- Sore throat or red throat
- difficulty swallowing
- sudden fever
- swolen lymph nodes on the neck
- nausea
- loss of apetite
Strep can be prevented by
avoiding contact with those who have it. It is tested for with a
throat culture, or by a
blood test for
antibodies.
If you get strep, don't sweat it; it's rarely damaging, although Streptococcus also causes scarlet fever. The best thing to do is to get some rest, take some antibiotics, and gargle with warm salt water several times a day. Taking an oral pain reliever also helps. Taking a lozenge may aggravate the condition. It should go away within a week.
Thanks to health.yahoo.com