How Long is Strep Throat Contagious

Strep throat is a contagious disease. It is found in the throat and is caused due to Streptococcus bacteria. It is commonly found in children between the age group of 5 to 16 years. Strep throat can be contagious for 2 to 3 days if treated and more than a week if left untreated. Hence, it is very important to take proper care of your child when he/she is suffering from strep throat.

Causes and Symptoms of Strep Throat
Strep throat is caused due to the Group A Streptococcus bacteria. These bacteria can be easily grown in the laboratory on blood agar. In humans, it is found in the nose and throat areas. Many people consider strep throat similar to sore throat but let me tell you one thing that both are very different from each other. Mostly, children come in contact of this bacteria as they play in the school with lots of other children which may have this infection. Strep throat in adults is found rarely. Strep throat symptoms can be observed 4 to 5 days after the exposure to bacteria. Following are some of the most common symptoms observed.

• It is characterized by severe sore throat and pain.
• You can observe swollen, tender glands on side of the neck. Red throat with dark red spots can also be found.
• A high fever of 101 to 105ºF can also be observed.
• A layer of white or gray coating on your tonsils or white pus can be observed.
• Headache, body ache, nausea and vomiting are common signs of strep throat.
• You may also observe loss of appetite and difficulty in swallowing.

How Long is Strep Throat Contagious?
Strep throat is contagious but the question is how long does strep throat last? To answer this question we should first know about how strep infection spreads? Strep throat can spread from one person to another. It is found specially in children because they come in contact with so many children who are infected. They play, study, fight and do all kinds of activity together. Sneezing, coughing, shaking hands, using the same napkins, same table, etc. can spread this bacteria. Using personal things of a person can also result in spreading the infection. If you were infected and got cured you may still get the infection if you come in contact with an infected person. Hence, precaution from strep throat is very necessary.

One more reason for strep throat contagiousness can be the low immune power of kids. There may be many kids who do not look affected but carry the bacteria in a dormant state. This can be because the person carrying the bacteria has a good immune system which is suppressing the strep bacteria infection. Hence, the infection depends upon the immune power of the person as some can resist the infection and some can't. So it is very important for parents to take care of their child if he/she is infected from strep infection.

The solution for step throat is antibiotics. The strep throat incubation period is 3 day but in some people it can last for more than 8 days. Well going further with the question how long is strep throat contagious after antibiotics, the answer is only till 24 hours after the intake of antibiotic. If strep throat is left untreated then it may be contagious for more than 10 - 15 days. The person taking the antibiotic dose is advised to take proper dose as prescribed by the doctor. Breaking the dose in between may cause the infection once again. It is better to maintain distance from the affected person for at least 2 days from time of taking the first antibiotic dose.

Treatment for Strep Throat
If you are observing the symptoms of strep throat then go for a test immediately. There are two tests available to know about the infection they are rapid antigen test which takes just 15 minutes to give the result and throat swab culture which may take 24 to 48 hours to give the result. If you get positive results for strep throat then go for the treatment immediately. Antibiotic for strep throat is the best treatment. Take antibiotic as prescribed by the doctor and complete the dose. Apart from this, gargle with warm salt water several times a day. Hot soup or one to two teaspoons of salt in warm water can also give you relief. You can also use other home remedies for strep throat to get relief.

If you are suffering from strep throat, try to get cured before the condition becomes worse. If you observe bleeding in the throat, then consult the doctor immediately. Take rest and try to avoid places where people can get this disease.