Strep Throat Incubation Period

Concerned about your sore throat, accompanied by pain? And to top it all, you have red and swollen tonsils. In short, your throat is in a real bad state. Well, it could be caused by a tiny thing called the Streptococcus pyogenes, a bacterium which causes streptococcal pharyngitis, in simple terms, a strep throat. It can be really painful, to say the least. What is more, it is contagious too. So, one has to really take care that it does not spread. Strep throat affects infants, teenagers and adults alike. Strep throat infections in infants cause symptoms which are not directly related to the throat. Infants could experience a runny nose, sores and crusting around the nostril, accompanied by low fever. Another important aspect of strep throat is the incubation period. Let's learn more about it.

Incubation Period for a Strep Throat
The incubation period for strep throat can differ slightly in each case, but generally it is about 3 days. It can also be either 2 days up to 5 days. In some instances, however, it was reported to be as long as 8 days. It refers to the time from when one is exposed to the infection causing bacteria, till the time when one actually starts getting symptoms. If you are wondering whether strep throat is contagious, let me tell you that it is. After you start seeing symptoms of a strep throat, the infection is contagious for a minimum of 24 hours, if you are not on prescribed antibiotics. Here is more on what happens after the bacteria has settled, and is ready to attack your throat!

Strep Throat Symptoms
The symptoms, although they seem to occur out of the blue, are not sudden, as they have been developing during the incubation period. The symptoms of strep throat infection are as follows.

1. Inflamed tonsils
2. White spots on the tonsils
3. Difficulty in swallowing
4. Headache
5. High fever
6. Malaise, general discomfort, feeling ill or uneasy
7. Abdominal pain
8. Nausea and vomiting
9. Loss of appetite
10. Rash
11. Chills
12. Ear pain
13. Peeling of skin on hands and feet

Although these are the common strep throat symptoms, it is not necessary that these will be observed in all cases of strep throat.

Strep Throat Treatment
When it comes to strep throat infection, it is necessary to go the doctor, and seek proper medical attention, because firstly, it is contagious, and secondly, (needless to say) it is painful. When you go to the doctor, he or she will prescribe you antibiotics for strep throat. Antibiotics help as they reduce the contagiousness of the infection, and prevent further complications like rheumatic fever, etc. Apart from the doctor's prescription, over the counter medicines like ibuprofen and paracetamol can provide relief from throat pain, and subside the fever as well. If you want to avoid side effects of antibiotics, or just do not believe in antibiotics, there are always home remedies for strep throat. One of the home remedies is to drink lots of fluids (if you are thinking of having chilled coke, well, no way!). Drink lots of soup broth and liquids having sugar, which will replenish your body's water, salt and sugar content. Gargling with a mixture of warm water and salt has been proved to relieve sore throat. Herbal teas containing a substance called licorice can also help sooth the frayed throat. The best home remedy, which most of us would jump at the proposition of, is sleep and loads of it.

Finally, the incubation period depends on how seriously your pharynx and larynx are affected. Prevention is better than cure, so general cleanliness, and avoiding contact with people who have the infection, is the best way to deal with strep throat infection.