UK Health Radio – Medical News Update on the Hour – Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is an illness that makes a pinkish reddish rash. It’s uncommon in the UK and is normally mild.
It mostly affects children between 2-8 years old. Children over 10 will not get scarlet fever because they would be immune to it by then.
Between 2,000-4,000 cases of scarlet fever are diagnosed each year in England.
It can start in one area, but spreads to other parts of the body, such as the ears, neck and chest. The rash can be itchy.
The symptoms for scarlet fever include: a rash, loss of appetite, being sick, red lines in the folds of the body when the rash has gone, feeling ill and a white coating on the tongue.
The rash can sometimes be the only symptom.
Scarlet fever is contagious and can be caught when you breath in the same air that somebody’s coughed or sneezed in, or by touching the skin of the infected child, sharing baths or towels with a child who is infected.
It is rare to get scarlet fever more than once.
Treatment is with antibiotic tablets, which must be taken for 10 days, even though most children recover after 4-5 days.
If your child has scarlet fever, keep them off school and away from other children until they’ve had antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
Gracie Timms
UK Health Radio – Medical News Update on the Hour
Kindly sponsored by 1-stop-health-shop.com
