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Sore Throat?

11/21/2014

 
Is It Strep Throat?

Strep throat is a common type of sore throat in children, but it's not very common in adults. Healthcare professionals can do a quick test to determine if a sore throat is strep throat and decide if antibiotics are needed. Proper treatment can help you feel better faster and prevent spreading it to others!
Many things can cause that unpleasant, scratchy, and sometimes painful condition known as a sore throat. Viruses, bacteria, allergens, environmental irritants (such as cigarette smoke), chronic postnasal drip and fungi can all cause a sore throat. While many sore throats will get better without treatment, some throat infections including strep throat may need antibiotic treatment.

How You Get Strep Throat
 Strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria (called "group A strep"). Group A strep bacteria can also live in a person's nose and throat without causing illness. The bacteria are spread through contact with droplets after an infected person coughs or sneezes. If you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes after touching something that has these droplets on it, you may become ill. If you drink from the same glass or eat from the same plate as the sick person, you could also become ill. It is also possible to get strep throat from contact with sores from group A strep skin infections.

A fever is a common symptom of strep throat.

Common Symptoms of Strep Throat



  • Sore throat, usually starts quickly and can cause severe pain when swallowing
  • A fever (101∞F or above)
  • Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
  • Tiny red spots (petechiae) on the area at the back of the roof of the mouth (the soft or hard palate)
  • Headache, nausea, or vomiting
  • Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
  • Body aches or rash

  • A Simple Test Gives Fast Results
  • Healthcare professionals can test for strep by swabbing the throat to quickly see if group A strep bacteria are causing a sore throat. A strep test is needed to tell if you have strep throat; just looking at your throat is not enough to make a diagnosis. If the test is positive, your healthcare professional can prescribe antibiotics. If the strep test is negative, but your clinician still strongly suspects you have this infection, then they can take a throat culture swab to test for the bacteria.

  • Antibiotics reduce the length of time you're sick and reduce your symptoms.

  • Antibiotics Get You Well Fast
  • The strep test results will help your healthcare professional decide if you need antibiotics, which can:
  • Decrease the length of time you're sick
  • Reduce your symptoms
  • Help prevent the spread of infection to friends and family members
  • Prevent more serious complications, such as tonsil and sinus infections, and acute rheumatic fever (a rare inflammatory disease that can affect the heart, joints, skin, and brain)
  • You should start feeling better in just a day or two after starting antibiotics. Call your healthcare professional if you don't feel better after taking antibiotics for 48 hours. People with strep throat should stay home from work, school, or daycare until they have taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours so they don't spread the infection to others.
  • Be sure to finish the entire prescription, even when you start feeling better, unless your healthcare professional tells you to stop taking the medicine. When you stop taking antibiotics early, you risk getting an infection later that is resistant to antibiotic treatment.

  • More Prevention Tips: Wash Those Hands
The best way to keep from getting strep throat is to wash your hands often and avoid sharing eating utensils, like forks or cups. It is especially important for anyone with a sore throat to wash their hands often and cover their mouth when coughing and sneezing. There is no vaccine to prevent strep throat.



Healthy Classroom Snack Ideas

11/6/2014

 
Grapes 
String Cheese
Banana
Frozen Banana (peel it first, stick in the freezer overnight- it's like a yummy popsicle)
Low-fat Yogurt
Sugar-free or fat-free pudding
Apple dipped in Peanut Butter
100-calorie bag of popcorn
Applesauce
Raw veggies with hummus 
Almonds
Apple
Hard Boiled Egg
Sunflower Seeds
Cottage Cheese
Sliced Cantelope
Raisins
Pita Bread and Hummus
Rice Cakes
Sugar-free Jello
Dried Fruits
Frozen Yoplait Whips Yogurt 
Air-Popped Popcorn
Pistachios
Clementines
Fruit Smoothie 
Handful of olives
Pickles
Handful of blueberries with 2 tablespoons fat-free Cool-Whip
Ants on a Log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)
1 cup mixed berry salad (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and/or blackberries) tossed with one tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Peanut Butter and Bananas on whole wheat bread
Trail Mix
Orange Slices
Cherry Tomatoes
Graham Crackers
Small Green Salad with light dressing
Grilled Pineapple (throw them on the grill or a skillet on med. heat for two minutes or until golden)
Baked Apples (one tennis ball-sized apple, cored, filled with 1 teaspoon brown sugar and cinnamon, and baked until tender)
Animal Crackers
Strawberries dipped in fat-free Cool Whip
Parfait (build your own with Greek yogurt or plain yogurt, fruit, and granola)
Bowl of bran flakes with 1/2 cup skim milk and berries
Guacamole with veggies
Triscuit's Thin Crisps dipped in cottage cheese or hummus
Cashews
Pretzels
Sugar Snap Peas
Steamed Veggies
Apricots
Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges
Any 100 calorie pack
Snack/Granola bar (around 150 calories or less, like Kellogg's All-Bran, Kashi TLC Trail Mix, or Fiber one Bar)
Baked chips (about 7-10) with salsa
Soy Chips
Protein Bar
Pumpkin Seeds 
Broccoli Florets
Peaches and Cottage Cheese
Chopped Red Peppers (dipped in fat free ranch)
V8 Vegetable Juice
Tuna with Triscuit crackers
Cooked and Cubed Chicken Breast
Homemade Popsicles (puree watermelon, strawberries, mango, banana, etc and freeze in popsicle molds)
Dates with almond butter or rolled in coconut
Quesadilla (whole wheat (or corn) tortillas w/cheese (or not) melted in microwave - adding on tomatoes, beans, corn, olives, avocado or guacamole or whatever sounds good)
Watermelon
Cubed Apples and Cubed Cheese 
Craisins 
Goldfish Crackers

Edamame

Turkey Roll-Ups (Four slices smoked turkey rolled up and dipped in 2 teaspoons honey mustard)

Strawberry Salad (1 cup raw spinach with ½ cup sliced strawberries and 1 tablespoon balsamic)

Oatmeal

Banana Smoothie (½ cup sliced banana, ¼ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt, and a handful of ice blended until smooth)

Apple Chips 



    OBS Wellness

    COVID-19 Links


    Food Resources:

    https://www.mvcommunityservices.org/food-resources-during-covid-19/​

    OB BOH :
    https://www.oakbluffsma.gov/429/Coronavirus-Information

    CDC: 
    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

    ​

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    School Nurse
    Lana Schaefer, RN, BSN,    NCSN
    508-693-0951 ext. 281
    LSchaefer@mvyps.org
    fax: 508-696-7825

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50 Trade Winds Road · Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts · 02557
508.693.0951 Phone · 508.693.5189 Fax
Regular Dismissal Time: 2:40 PM




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