😰 “Mom, My Throat Really, Really Hurts.”

Yesterday, your kid was fine. Today? They’re feverish, refusing breakfast, and clutching their throat like it’s betrayed them. You check their tonsils with a flashlight—yep, angry and red. Your gut says strep.

Trust that gut. At Night Watch Pediatric Urgent Care in Manassas, we see strep throat often. And we know exactly what to do about it—fast.

📚 Strep 101: What Parents Need to Know

Strep throat is caused by bacteria (not a virus), which means your child needs antibiotics to get better. You can’t just ride this one out with chicken soup and Netflix.

🎯 The kicker? You can’t diagnose strep by looking. The only way to know for sure is a test.

🚨 Classic Strep Symptoms

• ⚡ Sudden, intense throat pain (not gradual—it hits hard)
• 🌡️ Fever over 101°F
• 👅 Bright red tonsils sometimes with white spots or streaks
• 💢 Swollen, tender neck glands
• 🔴 Tiny red dots on the roof of the mouth
• ❌ No runny nose or cough (those usually mean it’s a virus)

⏰ Why You Can’t Just “Wait and See”

Untreated strep throat isn’t just painful—it can cause serious, long-term problems. We’re talking heart damage, kidney issues, and infections that get worse instead of better.

Real Risks of Skipping Treatment

• 💔 Rheumatic fever → Can permanently damage heart valves (yes, really)
• 🫘 Kidney disease → Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis
• 🦠 Peritonsillar abscess → A painful pocket of pus that may need drainage
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Spreading to siblings and classmates → Strep is wildly contagious

💊 Good news: Start antibiotics today, and your child will feel dramatically better by tomorrow. Most kids are back to normal within 48 hours.

⚡ One Quick Test = Same-Day Treatment

Our rapid strep test is exactly that—rapid. One quick throat swab, a 10-minute wait, and you’ll have a definitive answer. If it’s positive, we’ll prescribe antibiotics on the spot and send the prescription to your pharmacy before you leave.

The Process Is Simple

• 🚶 Walk in—no appointment needed
• 🩺 Quick throat swab (your kid barely notices)
• ⏰ Results in about 10 minutes
• 💊 Prescription sent immediately if positive
• 😊 No longer contagious after 24 hours on antibiotics

🌙 Open Evenings, Weekends, and When Strep Strikes

Strep doesn’t care that it’s 7 PM on a Thursday or Saturday morning. That’s why we offer extended hours—so you don’t have to watch your child suffer while waiting for Monday morning.

👂 When your kid says it really, really hurts? Believe them.

Walk into Night Watch Pediatric Urgent Care – Manassas.

Get answers. Get antibiotics. Get relief. 💪