SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State health officials are sounding an alarm over an increasing number of strep throat cases in children.
It’s specifically “Group A” strep throat, and has claimed the lives of five children in the state so far.
Symptoms, according to Illinois’ Chief Medical Officer Doctor Arti Barnes, can come on fast — including a very sore throat and a fever.
“It’s important to make sure the children don’t get reinfected from strep after they’ve gone through the course of antibiotics,” said Barnes. “You want to make sure you discard their toothbrushes, the toys that they put in their mouth…often you can just wipe them down, clean them, and disinfect them.”
Barnes encourages getting a rapid strep test, and if the child doesn’t seem to be getting better and starts complaining about a cough or other symptoms, check with their doctor to make sure the strep hasn’t gotten to the blood stream.
“When they start developing a cough or start talking about their belly hurting, they start feeling like they’re weak and they don’t have energy, that’s the time you want to make sure they get medical attention, to the point that you can check and make sure the strep is not in their blood at that point.”
CLICK HERE for more information about “Group A” strep throat.
