Print this topic

HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini

Sore throat

Korokoro mamae

Sore throats are very common, especially in tamariki (children) and rangatahi (teenagers).

Most sore throats are caused by viruses and get better by themselves with no treatment other than pain relief.

But some sore throats are caused by a bacteria called streptococcus (strep-toe-kok-us). This is called strep throat, and your general practice team can treat it with antibiotics. In a few cases, strep throat leads to a more serious illness called rheumatic fever.

You are at more risk of rheumatic fever if:

Important

If you or your tamaiti (child) have a high risk for rheumatic fever, see a health professional to check any sore throat within 1 or 2 days. If your health professional prescribes antibiotics for your sore throat, it is important to take them all for the entire 10 days. This is to stop you getting rheumatic fever, which can damage your heart.

If you or your tamaiti have a sore throat with a runny nose, cough, hoarse voice and a headache, you may have a cold or the flu. If you or your tamaiti have a cold or the flu, you may also have a fever and swollen neck glands.

Causes of sore throat

Most sore throats are caused by:

Diagnosing sore throat

Most sore throats do not need any tests.

You may have a swab taken from your throat to check for strep throat.

If your health professional thinks you might have glandular fever, they will take a blood test.

Treating sore throat

Most sore throats get better after 2 or 3 days and go away completely in 7 to 10 days without any treatment. If you have strep throat, you will need to take antibiotics for 10 days. It is important to finish them all to stop you getting rheumatic fever.

Self-care with sore throat

See your general practice team if you or your tamaiti:

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed October 2023.

Sources

See also:

Eating and drinking when you are unwell

Fever (high temperature) in children

Hoarse or lost voice (laryngitis)

Rheumatic fever & rheumatic heart disease

Page reference: 52903

Review key: HISTT-17240