Q: Five years back I caught throat infection. It started with mild cold and irritation of throat, which continued for 2 months and stopped after a full course of antibiotics. Doctor suggested that saline gargles would prevent recurrence. But the infection reappears every 3 to 6 months. Gargles do not reduce the irritation nor do they prevent the infection. My daughter has also got the same problem since she was 3 months old. She is 3 years old now. Only an antibiotic-Amoxycillin or equivalent stops the infection. What is the solution to this problem? I avoid consuming cold and sweet stuff and I am allergic to dust and cold. I have noticed that oily stuff ignites the infection. Is there a permanent cure for this problem or will I have to deal with this all my life?

A:This could be an allergic reaction, which may be difficult to differentiate from an infection if no investigations were done to find the cause, especially in view of the history of allergies. Ideally, a throat swab culture, gram stain and ASO test should be done in cases of sore throat believed to be due to an infection. Secondly, antibioticsare required only in cases when the infection is due to bacteria. Viral infections are more common causes of sore throat, and not require antibiotics.