I started a cold and dry cough two days ago.  This afternoon I noticed some burning inside my mouth when eating warm soup and I have some red areas and irritation in the back of my throat, roof of my mouth and sides.  There are no white patches as of yet.  What should I do to prevent this from getting worse, do you think this could be strep throat ?
Hi. Thanks for the query. Symptoms of cold and cough with red areas on the palate, inner cheeks and throat area is all due to infection only. As the mucosal surfaces are irritated and inflamed due to infection, therefore there is burning sensation while eating or Chat Doctor. . So my suggestion is to consult an Emergency room and get a throat swab culture done. It will help in ruling out whether it is bacterial or viral throat infection. At times there is viral infection with secondary bacterial infection. In that case you will be advised antibiotics like Azithromycin, anti-inflammatory painkillers like Advil, Alive etc., do warm saline gargles, antiseptic mouthwash gargles and suck throat lozenges. You can also suck lozenges with numbing agents to reduce pain and burning. Hope this helps. Regards.