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Strep A is a bacterial infection that is highly contagious and dangerous among young people and can cause enormous complications when untreated. It affects people of all ages, but flourishes in the younger generation. Complications include kidney and liver inflammation, rheumatic fever, ear infections and sinus infections.

Symptoms of Strep A include:

      • Throat pain

      • Painful swallowing

      • Red, swollen tonsils

      • Small red spots covering the back of the roof of the mouth

      • Swollen lymph nodes in your neck

      • Fever

      • Headache

      • Rash

      • Nausea

      • Vomiting

      • Body aches

    How is Strep A tested?

    There are two main types of testing for Strep A. These include Rapid strep test and Throat culture.

    Rapid strep test involves swabbing the throat, then running a lateral flow test on the swab taken. This is not dissimilar to the way rapid antigen testing is done for Covid-19. One positive to the Rapid strep test is that is gives you a quick result. However, this result doesn’t always show if there are other bacteria lurking which may be the cause for side-effects and secondary diseases.

    Throat culture involves taking a swab from the throat, which is then treated in an agar plate to see if group A streptococcal grows from the swab. This test is highly accurate and also tells you of other infections lurking. This is highly important for younger people because if strep A is untreated, it can lead to rheumatic fever. Although throat culture is highly accurate, it takes longer to get the result. 

    PPE for Strep A

        • Masks – Masks provide essential protection from droplets coming from the infected person. This also provides protection from other viruses in the air.

          • Face shields – Face shields provide the ultimate protection against the droplets from the infected person, as the bacteria cannot penetrate the plastic.

            • Gloves – Wearing gloves prevents the exposure to the virus.

              • HEPA – HEPA filters eliminate the virus from the air, creating a safer environment to occupy.

                • Sanitiser – Sanitiser removes germs from your hands and limits your exposure to the virus. It also prevents the spread.

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