strep throat in the family

I am worried that my kid has strep throat and if he has strep throat he should start antibiotics right away, right? I don't want him to get sicker while waiting to go in to see the doctor. I have three kids so, I am scared that he is contagious and that he will infect whole family. How long he will be contagious?

The truth about strep is that it is safe to wait a couple of days before treatment is started, so there is no need for panic. For strep throat treated with antibiotics, your child is no longer contagious after 24 hours of antibiotics… but if you concerned of spreading to family you should throw away your child's toothbrush and clean any dental appliances well every day for the first few days on antibiotics.