Online doctor, throat symptoms
Speak to a Doctor About Strep Throat Online, in English.
Severe sore throat, fever or difficulty swallowing while travelling? Strep cannot be confirmed from symptoms alone — that is true in a clinic room too — and NHS guidance says antibiotics will not usually relieve most sore throats or speed recovery. A video doctor can check for the symptoms that need urgent in-person care and tell you honestly whether you need a swab: Pomodoc connects you by video with an English-speaking doctor licensed to treat you where you are, for a fixed €40. A prescription can never be guaranteed in advance.
Most sore throats get better by themselves within a week, and NHS says most strep A infections also get better on their own after about a week. What sets strep apart is that symptoms alone may not confirm it, and more serious infections may be treated with antibiotics.
- €40
- per consultation
- No clinic hunt
- speak to a doctor from your room
English-speaking doctors, licensed to treat you in the country you are in.
Medical Advice for Strep Throat Symptoms
Strep throat can cause a sore throat, fever, swollen glands and pain when swallowing. However, sore throats can also be caused by viruses and other illnesses, so symptoms alone may not confirm strep throat. A healthcare professional may recommend a throat swab or other testing.
With Pomodoc, you can speak directly with a doctor by video. Discuss your symptoms, ask questions and understand whether you may need testing, medication or an in-person appointment.
- Consult securely by video
- Avoid unnecessary travel and waiting rooms
- Get clear guidance about your symptoms and treatment
- Access care while travelling or living abroad
Can a Video Doctor Diagnose Strep Throat?
Not from a camera alone, and the page would be worth less to you if we implied otherwise. Here is what the consultation does settle, and where it stops.
A video consultation can
- take a history: how it started, how fast, and what has changed since
- check for the symptoms that need urgent in person care instead
- explain what usually causes a sore throat, and how long it tends to last
- advise whether seeking a test where you are is worth your time
- talk through what to do if it gets worse overnight
For most sore throats that is the whole of the useful answer, because NHS guidance says antibiotics will not usually relieve the symptoms or speed up recovery.
It cannot
- a throat swab has to be taken in person, and so does a rapid test
- the glands in your neck cannot be felt over a video call
- strep cannot be confirmed from symptoms alone, which is true in a clinic room too
- a prescription can never be guaranteed in advance
What €40 per consultation buys is a doctor who has listened, told you what your symptoms point to, and told you plainly whether this needs someone in the room. Pomodoc connects you with an English-speaking doctor by video from wherever you are staying.
If the honest answer is that you need a swab, being told so from your room is more useful than finding it out after a morning in an unfamiliar clinic.
Your consultation runs on Air Doctor's ISO‑certified platform (ISO/IEC 27001 & ISO 27799 for health data). See our security & certifications.
How It Works
Medical advice by video in three simple steps
Start online
Tell us which country you are in and what is going on. It is a short form, not an appointment request.
Join by video
See your English-speaking doctor using your phone, tablet or computer.
Get clear guidance
Discuss your symptoms and receive advice about your next steps.
Why Use Pomodoc?
Explain it in English
Describe your symptoms and ask questions in English, instead of translating them first or hoping the clinic has someone who speaks it.
Get help without leaving your accommodation
Attend your appointment from your hotel, holiday rental, home or workplace.
Save time while travelling
Avoid searching for a local clinic or waiting in an unfamiliar healthcare setting.
Know whether a test is worth chasing
A doctor can help you decide whether a swab, medication or an in-person appointment is the right next step, before you spend a day of your trip looking for one.
Travellers who needed a doctor abroad
I was very happy to find this service
I was very happy to find this service! I was able to get a video visit with a physician promptly and get care.
Easy, competent, nice
Doctor was very nice and adequately thorough, explained everything very well. The whole process was far easier than expected.
Reliable and efficient
Reliable and efficient, able to provide medical support while you're away from home.
Reviews of Air Doctor, our medical partner, published on Trustpilot.
More About Sore Throats and Strep When You Are Away
Most sore throats are viral, and that changes what to do
NHS guidance is that sore throats are usually caused by viruses, such as a cold or flu, and normally get better by themselves within a week. It also says you do not normally need antibiotics for a sore throat, because they will not usually relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.
Tonsillitis follows the same shape. NHS guidance says most children and adults get the viral kind, which clears up on its own, and that symptoms usually go away after three to four days but can last longer. Antibiotics enter the picture when a bacterial infection is suspected, and that is the point at which testing starts to matter.
What moves a clinician towards a bacterial cause
Strep A is a common type of bacteria, and NHS guidance lists sore throat, whether as strep throat or as tonsillitis, among the things it causes, alongside flu like symptoms such as a high temperature, swollen glands or an aching body. Pus filled spots or white patches on the tonsils, and swollen, painful glands in the neck, are the findings NHS guidance associates with the more severe presentation.
None of that is a diagnosis to make on yourself, and it is not a checklist to score at home. It is the reason a clinician may suggest a swab instead of treating on appearance, and the reason a doctor will ask you about it.
Scarlet fever, and the rash worth reporting
The same bacteria can cause scarlet fever, and NHS guidance describes its rash as feeling rough, like sandpaper. That is worth knowing because it is specific and recognisable, which makes it something to report rather than something to interpret.
If a rash like that appears alongside a sore throat, say so when you speak to a doctor. It changes the conversation.
Getting through it while you are travelling
NHS self care advice for a sore throat travels well: gargle with warm, salty water, drink plenty of water, eat cool or soft foods, rest, and avoid smoking or smoky places. Sucking ice cubes, ice lollies or hard sweets can help too, and a hotel ice bucket is an underrated piece of medical equipment.
One caution from the same body of guidance, easy to get wrong away from home: do not give aspirin to anyone under 16.
Good things to know.
Can strep throat be diagnosed by video?
Not on its own. Sore throats caused by viruses and by bacteria can look and feel similar, so symptoms alone may not confirm strep throat, and a healthcare professional may recommend a throat swab or other testing. What a video consultation gives you is an assessment of what your symptoms point to, a check for anything that needs urgent in person care, and a clear answer on whether chasing a test where you are is worth it.
Do I need antibiotics for a sore throat?
Usually not. NHS guidance says you do not normally need antibiotics for a sore throat, because they will not usually relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery. They are prescribed when a bacterial infection is suspected, which is a clinical judgement rather than something to settle from a symptom list.
How long should a sore throat last before I do something?
NHS guidance is that a sore throat normally gets better by itself within a week, and suggests seeing a doctor if it has not improved after that. Tonsillitis symptoms usually go after three to four days. Difficulty breathing, being unable to swallow, drooling, or a severe throat that is quickly getting worse are a different matter: those need emergency care, not a wait and not a consultation.
Will the doctor be able to see my throat?
You can show your throat on camera, and a doctor may ask you to. It is one input rather than the answer, because appearance alone does not confirm a bacterial cause, which is precisely why testing exists. Most of the consultation is about the history, the pattern and what to do next.
Can a doctor prescribe antibiotics for me by video?
A doctor may issue a prescription when it is clinically appropriate and local rules permit, and for a sore throat that judgement often lands on not needing one. Some medicines cannot be prescribed remotely at all. Medication you buy at a pharmacy is not included in the €40.
What does the consultation cost, and what does it cover?
€40 per consultation, at a fixed price. That covers the video consultation with a doctor. It does not cover medication you buy at a pharmacy, a swab or test taken somewhere else, or any in-person care you go on to need.
When is a video consultation not the right call?
Not when it is an emergency. A video consultation is for suitable non-emergency concerns: and for a sore throat, difficulty breathing or swallowing, drooling, or severe swelling mean getting urgent care instead. In the country you are in, in a life-threatening emergency call the local emergency number first. It is also not the right tool when a doctor needs to examine you, take a swab or run a test — if that is what your symptoms need, the useful outcome of the call is being told so early, and the guide above says which routes are better for that.
Sources
- Sore throatNHSThat sore throats are usually caused by viruses and normally get better within a week, that antibiotics are not normally needed because they will not usually relieve symptoms or speed up recovery, the self care advice, and the emergency symptoms: difficulty breathing, being unable to swallow, drooling and stridor.
- TonsillitisNHSThe symptom list including swollen painful neck glands and pus filled spots or white patches on the tonsils, that most cases are viral and clear up on their own, the three to four day duration, that antibiotics are for suspected bacterial infection, the quinsy emergency signs including swelling in the mouth or throat, difficulty speaking and difficulty opening the mouth; and that pus-filled spots on the tonsils, or a sore throat so painful it is difficult to eat or drink, are reasons to get help from NHS 111 now.
- Strep ANHSThat strep A is a common type of bacteria, that it causes sore throat as strep throat or tonsillitis alongside flu like symptoms, that scarlet fever's rash feels rough, like sandpaper, and that most strep A infections get better on their own after about a week, with more serious infections possibly treated with antibiotics.
- 112, the European emergency numberEuropean CommissionThat 112 is the European emergency phone number, available everywhere in the EU free of charge, that it can be called from fixed and mobile phones, and that it functions alongside existing national emergency numbers.
Sources last checked: . General information, not a diagnosis.
Need Medical Advice for Strep Throat?
Speak to a video doctor and get guidance from wherever you are.
- €40, fixed price
- English-speaking doctors
- Honest about testing
- 139 countries
- Prescriptions where available
Video consultations are for suitable non-emergency medical concerns. If you have difficulty breathing, cannot swallow, or are drooling, treat that as an emergency: call your local emergency number, or 112 from any phone in the EU. This page is general information, not medical advice about your own situation.