 The symptoms of strep throat usually improve within three to five days , irrespective of treatment . Treatment with antibiotics reduces the risk of complications and transmission ; children may return to school 24 hours after antibiotics are administered . The risk of complications in adults is low . In children , acute rheumatic fever is rare in most of the developed world . It is , however , the leading cause of acquired heart disease in India , sub @-@ Saharan Africa and some parts of Australia . 
