Strep throat is a potentially serious bacterial infection in kids that causes pain in the throat that becomes worse with talking and swallowing, fever, stomach pain, loss of appetite, chills, headache, swollen neck and jaw glands, red and swollen tonsils and white patches of pus on the sides of the throat. Treatment is rest and antibiotics to clear the infection and to prevent complications. Avoiding strep in kids is difficult, as the disease is highly contagious. There are steps you can take, however, to minimize the risk of contracting the illness.
Step 1
Teach your child to wash her hands after coughing and sneezing, before eating or preparing food, after using the bathroom and after contact with someone who may be ill. Wet hands under warm running water, and then apply a quarter size amount of soap. Rub hands together for at least 20 seconds to create a lather, rinse under warm running water and dry with a clean towel.
Step 2
Keep open sores and cuts clean and bandaged when necessary to prevent contracting strep through your skin, and never share towels or clothing with anyone who is ill or has a rash of any kind. Impetigo is a fairly common strep infection of the skin that causes blisters and crusting to develop.
Step 3
Give your child her own drinking glasses, plates and silverware to use if someone else in your household is sick with strep or has recently been exposed to the germ.
Step 4
Insist your child, everyone in your household and everyone who has contact with your kids cough and sneeze into a disposable tissue instead of into their hands, sleeve or arm. This helps prevent the spread of strep and other illnesses.
Step 5
Clean doorknobs, telephones, remote controls, computer mice and keyboards and other common places where infected hands touch. Use a sanitizing wipe once or twice a day to reduce the number of bacteria in these locations.
Step 6
Buy an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for your child and have her use it periodically throughout the day, such as after coming into contact with a sick person, when washing her hands is not possible or before she eats.
Step 7
Throw away your child's toothbrush and the toothbrush of anyone infected in your home. Allow them to use a new toothbrush for the first 48 hours following antibiotic introduction, and then replace that toothbrush with a third brush.
Things You'll Need
- Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Disposable tissues
- Sanitizing wipes
- Toothbrushes
