What is tonsillitis?
Tonsillitis is a viral or bacterial infection in the throat that causes inflammation of the tonsils, which are small glands on either side of the throat. In the first six months of life they provide a useful defence against infections.
Tonsillitis is one of the most common ailments in pre-school children, but can occur at any age. Children are most often affected from around the age of three or four, when they start nursery or school and come into contact with many new infections. A child may have tonsillitis if they have a sore throat and a fever and are off food. Only children whose tonsillitis is recurrent and severe are referred to an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon to be considered for a tonsillectomy.
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