The symptoms that your kids have strep throat

If you search on any social media, you will find groups that are created by mothers. Where every new parent can ask questions on any part of parenthood. From the moment you have brought your baby home, to tips on how to raise them, you can find it all in those groups. Of course, you shouldn't substitute these groups for doctor visits if your child has some illness.

Back in 2019, one post went viral in those kinds of groups, and it turned out that the parents who posted the photo of their kid and warned other parents, turned out to be some rare form of strep. Arden and Ashley Howley were the parents that posted a picture of their son Coop, who had a weird red mark on his face.

When the parents first saw the red mark, they thought that his brother just painted his face, but in further inspection, they realized that Coop needed to be taken to a doctor. When they took him to the hospital, the doctor prescribed a steroid, but it didn't help. When they went the second time, other doctors determined that he had a rare kind of strep throat.

His mother has said that the first time they went to see a physician, and he only said to take a type of steroid. Some time passed, and Coop wasn't getting better, so they went to the ER, and there the doctors confirmed that he had strep throat in his sinuses.

The test that the doctors did determine that their son had a rare strep throat called invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease. This unique type of strep throat is caused by the same bacteria as the standard, more common strep throat. Still, when the bacteria goes into the bloodstream, it can infect the nasal passages and the face. On some rare occasions, it can also go to the brain, wherein that case it can be fatal.

Coop's father had said that the doctor scared them when they got informed that the disease could have continued to migrate. Into the eyes and then the brain if they didn't bring Coop to the hospital for treatment. 

This rare disease isn't known among a lot of people, so that is why the Hawleys wanted to share the photo of their child so others that have it can see that it can be severe. They also wrote that parents should share this post too as many people as they can so it isn't late for someone.

Another parent had seen the photo of Coop and managed to get their son to the doctor on time. She shared her story with a group, saying that she saw the post and knew what to do. Sometime later, her son woke up one night with a heavy fever and with the same marks of his face as Coop.

She wrote that her son woke up one morning with a fever and she thought that it was nothing serious. Later that night, her son wasn't feeling good, and the fever had gotten worse. After a while, his face started to turn red, and the mark started to get noticeable. She remembered that she had seen some post online about red marks on some child's face, but in the end, she hoped that her son only had a fever rash, and she put him to bed again.

When her son got up the next morning, the rash, the fever, and the red marks on his face were still there. She immediately took him to the doctor, who informed her after doing a couple of tests that he tested positive for strep and influenza.

The doctor also said that a rash and the marks on his face were a big symptom and that that is the main thing you associate strep with. The mother said that she didn't know and that the multiple people that she talked to for the past few days didn't know either. 

Another mother had shared photos of her son, having the same type of strep. Still, in his situation, the bacteria had already migrated to his eyes. She posted the pictures because she wanted to warn other parents what could happen if not treated quickly. Her son needed to get surgery so that the doctors could drain the pus that was in his eyelids.

Fortunately, all the children that we mentioned turned out to have a successful recovery. Still, the doctor mentioned that they were lucky that the parents brought them to the hospital on time. All of these posts were put online so other parents could watch out and know exactly what to do if something like this happens to their kids.

Doctors have said that the best way to avoid catching step is to wash your hands regularly and get your flu shot.