Sore throat: what helps, when it could be strep, and when to get help now

A sore throat can feel painful, raw, scratchy or itchy (makati), and it often hurts more when you swallow. You may also have:

• redness at the back of the mouth
• swollen, tender glands (kulani) in the neck
• a hoarse voice, a mild cough or bad breath
• fever, headache or body aches

Most sore throats get better within about a week. When a virus is the cause, symptoms usually peak around day 3 to 5 and are better by day 10.

Most sore throats are caused by viruses, the same germs behind the common cold (sipon), flu (trangkaso) and COVID-19. Antibiotics do not work against viruses. Other causes are:

• strep throat, an infection with group A streptococcus bacteria
• tonsillitis (infected tonsils) and laryngitis (a swollen voice box)
• glandular fever (mono), most common at ages 15 to 24
• smoke, dust, allergies and acid reflux
• less often, sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. If you may have been exposed to HIV, a sore throat is a reason to get tested (see our HIV symptoms and testing guide)
• thrush (a fungal infection), mostly in people with a weak immune system

Painful sores inside the mouth are more likely singaw (mouth ulcers).

A doctor can't always tell a virus from strep by symptoms alone, so they use a short checklist of signs and sometimes a test.

A virus is more likely when the sore throat comes with a cough, a runny nose or red, watery eyes.

Strep is more likely with a sudden fever, white patches or pus on the tonsils, and swollen, tender neck glands, usually without the cough and runny nose of a cold. It is most common in children aged 5 to 15 and spreads through saliva, often within a household.

Some strep infections cause scarlet fever, with a rash that feels rough like sandpaper and a red, bumpy tongue. It needs a doctor's care.

Tests. A health worker may swab the back of your throat. A rapid strep test can be done at the clinic, but it can miss some cases. A throat culture is more thorough, and its result takes 1 to 2 days.

• Gargle with warm salt water. Mix half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, gargle, then spit it out. Young children should not gargle.
• Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, soup, salabat (ginger tea) or warm calamansi juice.
• Cold drinks are fine. Despite "bawal ang malamig", sore throats come from germs and smoke, not from cold drinks. Cold water or ice candy made with clean water can even soothe the pain.
• Eat soft foods such as lugaw or arroz caldo.
• Try honey in warm water. Never give honey to a baby under 1 year old: it can cause infant botulism, a rare but serious illness.
• Suck a lozenge or hard candy, but not young children, who can choke.
• Rest your voice. Skip the karaoke, and don't shout or whisper.
• Avoid smoke and dust, and stop smoking.

Not sure whether you need a doctor? Our free AI symptoms guide can help you think it through.

Many people ask for a "sakit ng lalamunan tablet". Here is what helps:

• Paracetamol or ibuprofen are the main medicines for throat pain and fever. Never give aspirin to anyone under 16.
• If you have a fever and dengue is possible, for example in the rainy season, take paracetamol and avoid ibuprofen and aspirin until a doctor has checked you: in dengue they can raise the risk of bleeding. See our dengue guide.
• Medicated lozenges, with a numbing, antiseptic or anti-inflammatory medicine, may reduce pain in adults, but only a little.
• Throat sprays used on their own have little proof that they help.

Follow the label or ask the pharmacist how much to take, and don't take the same ingredient twice (for example, paracetamol in a cold mix plus paracetamol tablets). If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a long-term illness, take other medicines, or are buying for a child, ask a pharmacist or doctor first. You can also ask our medicines guide.

It is tempting to buy amoxicillin or use leftover antibiotics for a sore throat. But:

• Antibiotics don't kill viruses, the usual cause.
• Most people get better within a week with or without them. On average, they shorten symptoms by only about 16 hours.
• They have side effects, most often diarrhea and nausea.
• Unneeded antibiotics help germs become resistant, so they may fail when you really need them.

When they matter. A doctor may prescribe one, usually penicillin or amoxicillin, when strep is confirmed or likely, or when you are very unwell. For strep, it speeds recovery and prevents rheumatic fever (see Strep throat and rheumatic fever). If you get one, finish the full course, don't share it, and go back if you are not better 24 to 48 hours after starting it.

A makating lalamunan with a dry, tickly cough usually comes from:

• the start of a cold or flu
• laryngitis, with hoarseness and a need to clear the throat, usually gone within 1 to 2 weeks
• allergies, with sneezing and itchy eyes, which can last for weeks or months
• mucus dripping down from the back of the nose
• acid reflux, with heartburn or a sour taste, often worse after eating or lying down
• smoke, dust and dry air

Fluids, lozenges and resting your voice help. A pharmacist can suggest medicines for allergies or reflux. A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks needs a check-up. For coughs, see our cough remedy guide.

In tonsillitis, the tonsils at the sides of the throat are red and swollen, sometimes with white patches or pus. It can feel like a bad flu, with painful swallowing, fever and earache. It is usually caused by a virus, sometimes by strep, and usually gets better in 3 to 4 days with the same home care.

See a doctor today if you have pus-filled spots on your tonsils or the pain makes it hard to eat or drink. Removing the tonsils is rarely needed. For more, see our tonsillitis guide.

Quinsy, a rare complication, is a pocket of pus beside a tonsil. Go to the emergency room if a sore throat gets worse quickly, with swelling inside the mouth or throat, or trouble speaking, swallowing, breathing or opening your mouth.

A young child may not say their throat hurts. They may refuse food or drinks, cry when swallowing, drool, or have a fever.

• Ask a doctor or your health center about a sore throat in a child under 5. See our guide to fever in babies and children.
• Safe remedies in the DOH child illness guide (IMCI) for children aged 2 months to 5 years: keep breastfeeding, give more fluids, and give calamansi juice. It advises against cough syrups, mucus-thinning medicines and nasal decongestants for young children.
• Don't give honey under age 1, hard candies to young children, or aspirin under 16. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before giving any medicine.
• Keep them home while they have a fever, and with strep until they have had at least a day of antibiotics.

Go to the emergency room at once if a child drools, can't swallow or breathes noisily.

Rarely, untreated strep throat leads to rheumatic fever weeks later, when the body's defenses attack its own tissues, including the heart valves. One or more attacks can scar the valves for good, which is called rheumatic heart disease, which WHO calls the most common heart disease that people get before age 25. Treating strep with the right antibiotic prevents rheumatic fever.

See a doctor if, in the weeks after a sore throat, you or your child has fever with painful joints (especially pain that moves between joints), chest pain, shortness of breath or jerky movements that can't be controlled.

People who have had rheumatic fever need regular antibiotic injections for many years to prevent another attack. PhilHealth has an outpatient package for this care at contracted facilities, set by Circular 2019-005 and still in use in 2025. It pays ₱12,000 per patient a year and includes a yearly heart ultrasound (2D echo). Sponsored and indigent members pay nothing extra.

• Barangay health station, rural health unit (RHU) or city health center. Start here for a sore throat that isn't improving, or a child with a sore throat and fever. Learn how the public health system works, or find a health center.
• PhilHealth YAKAP. As of July 2025, members registered with a YAKAP clinic get free check-ups, the lab tests on the YAKAP list that their YAKAP doctor orders, and medicines on the GAMOT list prescribed by that doctor, up to ₱20,000 a year. A private YAKAP clinic may charge up to ₱900 a year. See our PhilHealth YAKAP guide.
• Private clinics charge for the visit and for any strep test, so ask the price first.

Want to talk it through? Book a call with a nurse.

• Wash your hands often, and cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow.
• Don't share cups, spoons or food while someone is sick.
• Stay home while you have a fever, and with strep until you have had antibiotics for at least a day.
• Get a new toothbrush a few days after starting antibiotics for strep.
• Vaccinate. Health centers give the basic baby vaccines in the first year, including Hib, which protects against epiglottitis, a dangerous swelling in the throat.