Strep throat can be a very nasty disease. It usually incubates in your body for about three to five days before showing symptoms, and when it shows itself the symptoms are not pleasant. For one, it will obviously lead to a sore throat, although someone who comes down with strep must understand that it differs from a normal sore throat in that it is bacterial rather than caused by a virus, and therefore medications that can be helpful for a normal sore throat will do no good for strep. Along with the soreness, a sufferer of strep may experience swollen lymph nodes, white or yellow spots on the tonsils, and general pain while swallowing. Some may also experience skin rashes, which will generally start on the chest or back and then spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can also differ between adults and children. In adults, it is common to see nausea, fever, muscle pain, and loss of appetite, among others. In children, the symptoms are not vastly different, but can differ in degree, such as the fever being more mild at younger ages than even older children experience. In infants, the first symptom will most commonly be yellow or green nose drainage.
Thankfully, there are some good ways to prevent strep. Make sure to wash your hands regularly, and avoid as much contact with sick people as you can. Avoid touching your face or eyes, and specifically make sure to wash your hands after shaking a sick person’s hand or some other unavoidable contact. Most effectively, make sure also to get plenty of rest, reduce your stress levels, and strengthen the natural defense mechanisms of your body. With these precautions, you may be able to avoid this unpleasant nuisance.