Instead of trying to schedule a potentially unnecessary doctor’s appointment or waiting for hours in their office to get a rapid strep or flu test, stop by Love Oak Pharmacy. We now offer in-house rapid strep and flu tests, which allows our patients to quickly know if they need to seek further medical treatment from their primary physician. No appointment necessary and we have the results in 15 minutes, speeding up the treatment process.
In children, about 25% of all sore throats are strep throat. However in adults, only around 10% of every sore throats is strep throat.
The bacteria that causes strep throat is highly contagious and can be transmitted by sneezing or coughing. Parents of school-aged children and adults who are often in contact with children are of a higher risk for strep throat because children are more susceptible. In addition, being in close contact with someone with strep throat is another risk factor for illness.
Healthcare providers cannot tell if someone has strep throat just by looking at their throat. A rapid strep test is needed to determine if the sore throat is caused by a virus or bacteria. A rapid strep test involves swabbing the throat and running a test on the swab to quickly see if group A strep is causing the illness. Results are generally available within 15 minutes.
If the rapid strep test is positive, the patients healthcare providers can prescribe antibiotics. However, if the rapid strep test is negative, but the patient's personal healthcare provider highly suspects that they have strep throat, then the doctor can take a throat culture swab . In this test, the patient's healthcare provider will further analyze the swab for the growth of bacteria.
It is important for patients to come in early for a rapid strep and flu test if they have any related symptoms because early treatment has been shown to decrease the rate of transmission. In addition, early treatment has been shown to prevent secondary complications. Also, early treatment can provide patients quick relief to their symptoms and the duration of illness can be shortened.
Please call Love Oak Pharmacy at 254-629-1791 if you have any questions about the flu or strep.