A guide to checking sore throats to prevent rheumatic fever.
Copyright Kylie Sullivan 2017. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Sore throats are common in children. Causes can include:
Less frequently, glandular fever (Epstein Barr virus) can cause a sore throat, enlarged glands in the neck, fever and tiredness, particularly in teenagers and young adults. Glandular fever is diagnosed with a blood test.
Yes. If your child has a sore throat, call Healthline in New Zealand (for free) on 0800 358 5453. They will give you advice about what to do.
If your Māori or Pacific child or teen has a sore throat, please also talk to your family doctor. Your child may need 2 swabs - a COVID-19 swab and a throat swab for strep throat. That's because in New Zealand, Māori and Pacific children are at greatest risk of developing complications from strep throat. Your child may need 10 days of antibiotics for a suspected strep throat to prevent rheumatic fever.
In at-risk people, untreated strep throat can lead to rheumatic fever. See the rheumatic fever page [1].
Sore throats caused by viruses are common in all children. Strep throat is more common in school-age children. Strep throats are rare in children under 3.
In New Zealand, Māori and Pacific children are at greatest risk of developing complications from strep throat.
It's very difficult to tell the difference between a viral sore throat and strep throat.
If your Māori or Pacific child or teen has any sore throat, please take them to your family doctor or school clinic for a throat swab. Your child may need 10 days of antibiotics for a suspected strep throat to prevent rheumatic fever.
Keep your child away from school or early childhood centres for at least 24 hours after they start antibiotics, to reduce the risk of spreading the strep bacteria.
If your child with a sore throat is not Māori or Pacific, they have a low risk of developing rheumatic fever. Sore throats are usually viral. Most children with a sore throat do not need any tests.
You should see a doctor urgently if your child has:
You should see your family doctor if your child:
Infections caused by viruses can not be treated with antibiotics. The body will clear out the virus on its own without treatment.
If your child needs take antibiotics for a strep throat, make sure they take all the doses for 10 days even if their symptoms have improved. Your child can return to school or daycare 24 hours after they start antibiotics.
Pain relief can help any sore throat. It will help your child eat and drink. You can relieve pain in the following ways:
If your child has glandular fever (Epstein Barr virus), they should not take antibiotics because antibiotics don't work against viral infections. In fact, some types of antibiotics, especially amoxycillin, can cause a rash in children with glandular fever.
The content on this page conforms with:
The video is copyright Kylie Sullivan 2017. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Acknowledgements: Starship Child Health, Starship Foundation, Auckland District Health Board (Alison Leversha, Faith Mahony).
This page last reviewed 05 March 2021.
Email us [6] your feedback
Links
[1] https://kidshealth.org.nz/rheumatic-fever
[2] https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/resources/group-a-streptococcal-sore-throat-management
[3] https://assets.heartfoundation.org.nz/documents/shop/heart-healthcare/non-stock-resources/sore-throat-algorithm.pdf?mtime=1667526708?1683052705
[4] https://kidshealth.org.nz/node/2195?language=ko
[5] https://kidshealth.org.nz/node/2796?language=ko
[6] https://kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fkidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F189%3Flanguage%3Dko