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Strep Throat in Children — Will We Have Another February Peak?

WakeMed Children's Hospital Childrens/Family, Community Health & Wellness, Diseases & Conditions, Ear Nose & Throat (ENT)

Medically reviewed by Samantha Dowell, CPNP

Rates of strep throat are highest between December and April of each year. Right now, we are in the peak of the season. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said unpublished data from its national surveillance program show that visits for regular strep infections reached a five-year high between February and March of 2023.

A report from Epic Research, suggests that in February, rates of strep throat were nearly 30% higher than during the previous peak in February 2017. Can we expect more of the same this February? It’s important for you to know the signs of strep and seek immediate treatment.

Diagnosis

Strep throat is most often evidenced in school-aged children and is diagnosed using a rapid strep test, which requires the insertion of a swab down a child’s already achy throat. Yet it’s a little discomfort for swift relief once diagnosed. Interestingly, children younger than three years old do not typically contract strep because it does not colonize in their throats.

Symptoms

Classic strep throat symptoms include the following:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Pain when swallowing
  • Rash
  • Red and swollen tonsils
  • Red spots on the roof o the mouth (petechiae)
  • Sudden onset sore throat
  • Swollen lymph nodes on the neck
  • White patches or streaks of pus on the tonsils

Less common symptoms include difficulty swallowing, cough and congestion.

Treatment

If your child has these symptoms, visit your provider. Our WakeMed Children’s – Pediatric Primary Care and family Primary Care providers are available for new patients and can schedule your child for appointments. For more urgent needs, visit one of our WakeMed Urgent Care and MyCare 365 facilities, where we are open 365-days-a-year and ready to diagnose and administer a prescription to treat strep throat.

A simple course of antibiotics cures strep throat. Untreated, strep throat can cause kidney complications or lead to rheumatic fever.

Occasionally, some children may require a tonsillectomy to remove the two oval-shaped pads (tonsils) at the back of the throat if a child has recurring strep throat or a bacterial infection. Our ENT – Head & Neck Surgery teams can consult with you if you feel this might be a viable option for your child.

WakeMed Children’s – Pediatric Primary Care provider Samantha Dowell, CPNP, agrees, “Strep throat is a common and easily treatable illness in pediatrics. Kids usually present with a sore throat and fever, but they can also have other symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, or a rash. Strep throat can go away on its own, but without antibiotics, kids are at higher risk for complications, such as rheumatic fever. It is always recommended to get checked by your doctor if your child is showing signs of strep to rule it out!”

Transmission

Strep throat is highly contagious, so children should not return to school until after they have been treated with antibiotics for at least 24 hours.

About Samantha Dowell, CPNP

Samantha Dowell is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner with clinical interests in preventive medicine and empowering families to make healthy lifestyle choices. She is also passionate about newborn care, asthma management, and general child growth and development. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from James Madison University and master’s degree in nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dowell’s nursing background includes behavioral and developmental pediatrics, in addition to general pediatric primary care.

Dowell enjoys the opportunity to educate children and their families at every visit, sick or well. She makes it a priority to establish trusting relationships with families so they can always feel heard and supported. With children of her own, Dowell understands that every stage in raising children includes new obstacles and achievements, and she enjoys helping parents navigate these stages. Outside of work, Dowell enjoys spending quality time with her family exploring the Triangle, running marathons, swimming, reading and baking.

About WakeMed MyCare 365

At WakeMed MyCare 365 we offer the ultimate in convenience. With locations around the Triangle open every day of the year, our care teams are available to see you whenever and wherever you are. And if that’s still too far away we offer virtual visits. Just select your location and call to schedule your visit. Each of our locations offers walk-in urgent care services along with primary care, so you can get the type of care you need any day of the year.

About WakeMed Children’s – Pediatric Primary Care

We are proud to offer exceptional, compassionate pediatric care to families throughout Wake and Johnston counties. WakeMed Children’s wide range of pediatric care includes annual well visits, sick visits and comprehensive pediatric physical exams. Our team of pediatricians in Cary and Clayton offer the most comprehensive services for children in Wake and Johnston counties.

About WakeMed Primary Care

WakeMed Physician Practices features board-certified primary care, internal medicine and family medicine physicians conveniently located throughout the Triangle.

Our exceptional and compassionate providers and care teams pride themselves on developing long-term relationships with their patients and their families.

About WakeMed Urgent Care

WakeMed Urgent Care offers a wide range of adult and pediatric services for patients ages 4 months and up with multiple locations and specialty services to serve you.

About WakeMed ENT – Head & Neck Surgery

WakeMed ENT – Head & Neck Surgery is proud to offer ear, neck, and throat (ENT) services in addition to audiology services for adults and children in Apex, Garner, North Raleigh and Raleigh, North Carolina.

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