
09/29/2025
Sore throat that won’t quit? It might be more than a summer cold. 🤒
As the season shifts, strep throat becomes increasingly common — especially in children ages 5 to 15. This bacterial infection is highly contagious and spreads easily through close contact. Symptoms include a sore throat, fever, chills, headache, stomach pain and more.
It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider if you exhibit these symptoms, so they can conduct a physical exam and determine if a strep test is necessary for you. Here are some fast facts:
🚨 Testing is important. Untreated strep throat can lead to infections, abscesses and a serious condition called acute rheumatic fever (ARF).
✌️There are two types of tests: a rapid strep test and a throat culture. Your provider will often start with a rapid test and decide if a throat culture is needed.
⏱️ A rapid strep test, which involves swabbing the throat and looking for strep bacteria, can provide results within minutes.
🦠 A throat culture, which sends a sample to a lab for growth, is considered more accurate, but results can take a few days.
👶 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testing for children 3 years old and younger is not recommended because the risk of developing ARF is extremely rare for this age group.
🔬 The CDC also states that doing a throat culture on adults is often unnecessary because they are less likely to have complications from strep throat.
➕ If you test positive, your provider will likely prescribe an antibiotic. You should stay at home until you no longer have a fever and have been taking antibiotics for 24 hours.
🛑 Stop strep before it happens — cover coughs and sneezes, avoid touching your face, don’t share personal items and wash your hands often.
If you're experiencing a sore throat and fever, don't wait. Our Tanner Urgent Care locations in Bremen, Carrollton and Villa Rica offer quick testing and effective treatment, so you can start feeling better fast.
Go to https://bit.ly/4i1v0dQ to make an appointment or book a virtual visit. If no time slots are available, we’re happy to care for you as a walk-in patient any time during regular business hours.
There are times when an illness or an injury is too urgent to wait for a doctor’s appointment but isn’t serious enough for the ER. That’s when Tanner Urgent Care, with locations in Carrollton, Villa Rica and Bremen, makes sense.