If you have tonsillitis, you should rest and stay well hydrated. You can take acetaminophen* or ibuprofen to ease symptoms, but acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) should be avoided in children with viral infections, as it can lead to Reye's syndrome, a very dangerous condition that affects many organs, particularly the brain and liver.
When bacteria are causing the infection, your doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic. Most doctors will not prescribe antibiotics until tests confirm that bacteria are the cause. However, people with 3 out of following 4 characteristic symptoms may be treated with antibiotics "up-front" (before culture results are known): fever, discharge from the tonsils, no cough, and tender lymph nodes.
Few children get chronic or recurring infections. In some cases, when a child has recurring tonsillitis, family members may be tested to see if they're asymptomatic (without symptoms) carriers of group A streptococcus. If so, they may be given antibiotics to ensure that the whole family is streptococcus-free, and to protect the child from reinfection.
If children don't respond to antibiotics and have recurring infections (over 6 episodes in 1 year, over 4 episodes per year for 2 years, or over 3 episodes a year for 3 years), tonsillectomy may be necessary.
Quinsy is usually treated by draining the abscess and antibiotics. Sometimes removing the tonsils is needed to treat quinsy.
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