Get Fast Relief from Throat Discomfort with Our Trusted Care
Does your throat feel like you swallowed sandpaper with every sip or bite? We understand the raw feeling that makes even talking feel like work. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend another day guessing if it’s more than just an ordinary flu.
At Family Urgent Care, we provide urgent care for strep throat when you can’t make sense of that scratchy sensation yourself. Our dedicated team of healthcare experts and doctors actively listen to your symptoms, perform a throat examination, and prescribe you medicines that are best suited to your unique health needs.
With our walk-in clinic for strep throat in Chicago & Northwest Indiana, getting quality care has never been this convenient
What is Strep Throat?
Strep throat is one of the most common bacterial infections that occurs when a bacterium ‘Group A Streptococcus’ enters your body through airborne droplets or by direct contact. This infection is common in all ages: children, teenagers, adults and the elderly.
How Does It Spread?
The strep throat spreads easily when people
- Share personal items like drinks, clothes, and towels
- Breathe in airborne droplets that contain strep bacteria
- Touch something that has bacteria and then touch their mouth or nose.
- Come in direct contact with the infected person.
Isolation Precautions for Strep Throat
You can practice the following precautions to control strep throat from spreading to others.
- Stay home from school, work, and day-care until you’re fever-free and have taken antibiotics for at least 12–24 hours, if prescribed.
- Keep a distance of 3-6 feets from others to avoid transmission of droplets.
- Don’t share drinks, food, utensils, towels, or other personal items.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing, sneezing, or touching your mouth.
- Clean the shared surfaces with an antiseptic cleaner.
Why Choose Family Urgent Care for Strep Throat?
Rapid Strep Testing
Don’t spend days wondering if that painful sore throat is strep. Get an urgent care rapid strep test for quick answers and timely treatment without waiting days for appointment.
Care Close to Home
When you’re feeling miserable, travelling far for care adds another source of discomfort to an already stressed situation. With our convenient locations in Chicago and Schererville, it’s easier to get your throat checked right when you need it.
Experienced Providers
Strep symptoms can look like other throat infections. Our experienced providers assess your symptoms, help determine what’s causing your discomfort, and provide proper strep throat treatment for ultimate relief.
Flexible Payment Options
When a painful throat is already making your day difficult, worrying about the cost shouldn’t add to it. Whether you’re using insurance or paying out of pocket, we have flexible payment options that make getting the care you need feel a little easier.
When to Visit Urgent Care for a Strep Throat?
You should visit urgent care at your earliest convenience if you notice any of the following symptoms.
- Fever above 101°F and a sore throat that started suddenly and last longer than 48 hours.
- Red and swollen tonsils
- Severe pain when swallowing food or drinking water.
- Persistent muffled voice.
- Tiny red spots on the roof of your mouth.
- Swollen lymph nodes in your neck.
What Happens If Strep Throat is Left Untreated
Most people get confused thinking ‘Should I wait for the symptoms to settle on their own or visit a doctor nearby?’
While some sore throats improve without treatment, confirmed strep throat may require antibiotics to reduce the risk of complications. If strep throat is left untreated, it may lead to:
- The spreading of bacteria into the tonsils (causing tonsillitis), sinuses (sinusitis), middle ear (otitis media), or blood.
- Rheumatic fever (inflammation in the heart, joints, skin, or brain)
- Scarlet fever (an infection caused by the spreading of strep bacteria that presents with rash, sore throat and high fever)
- Inflammation in the kidneys that might lead to blood in urine, swelling, or high blood pressure.
- Pneumonia, a rare but serious complication that can occur when Group A Streptococcus spreads to the lungs.
Common Treatment Options for Strep Throat
Strep throat can be cured and treated in the following ways.
- Antibiotics
- Over-the-counter pain relievers
- Gargling with salt water
- Throat Lozenges
- Stay hydrated and include drinking plenty of warm fluids
- Rest.
How Can Family Urgent Care Help in Treating Strep Throat?
It’s time to say goodbye to throat troubles as our team is here to turn the irritating pain into relief, ensuring you get the quality throat bacterial infection treatment without any hassle.
Once you visit Family Urgent Care for Strep Throat, our healthcare providers examine your throat, ask you about your symptoms, and take a culture test if necessary. The doctor then prescribes appropriate symptom-relief medicines and antibiotics for sore throat depending upon the severity of your infection.
Not to mention, you can also book a same-day phone or video appointment within minutes and consult our healthcare experts without any hassle of commuting to the clinic. If the provider feels the need for the test, you have to visit your nearest Family Urgent Care clinic at your earliest convenience.
FAQs
Infants can get strep throat, but it’s uncommon. If your baby has a fever, poor feeding, unusual fussiness, or other concerning symptoms, contact a pediatrician for guidance.
Yes, you can still get strep throat without tonsils. Tonsil removal lowers the risk of some throat infections but doesn’t prevent group A strep from infecting the throat.
The cost of a rapid strep test at Family Urgent Care is $20 with insurance.
The flu itself cannot turn into strep throat because a virus causes the flu, and bacteria cause strep throat. However, after the flu, your immune system may be weaker, which can make you more likely to catch strep throat from exposure.
Strep throat vs cold vs sore throat can be hard to identify separately due to the overlap of symptoms. However, there is a subtle difference if you observe closely. Strep throat usually causes sudden throat pain that comes with fever and difficulty swallowing while cold symptoms include runny nose, congestion, and cough. A sore throat is not an illness itself but a symptom that can occur with various conditions.
Yes, urgent care can be a convenient option for tonsillitis, especially if you have significant throat pain, fever, swollen tonsils, or difficulty swallowing. A provider can examine your throat and determine whether testing or treatment is needed.
Yes, many urgent care centers offer rapid strep testing. A provider may recommend a test based on your symptoms and examination to determine whether group A strep is causing your sore throat.
Mouthwash may help soothe a sore throat temporarily by reducing bacteria in the mouth and easing discomfort, but it cannot cure strep throat. Strep throat requires antibiotics prescribed by a healthcare provider for complete treatment.
No. Strep throat does not turn into mono because they are caused by different infections. However, both can cause similar symptoms, including sore throat, fever, and swollen lymph nodes, so testing may help tell them apart.
To reduce your risk of getting strep throat from a family member, avoid sharing food, drinks, utensils, or personal items, wash your hands regularly, and limit close contact while they are sick. If they have confirmed strep, following their treatment plan can also help reduce the spread of infection.