What is Scarlet Fever

One of the most common childhood illnesses is scarlet fever. It is seen affecting children within the age group of 3 to 15 years. Scarlet fever is also called scarlatina. It may sometimes occur after a child develops strep throat. When a skin rash begins to appear on the body and the tongue of the child goes strawberry pink in color, it is said as scarlet fever. It is a bacterial infection that is caused by haemolytic streptococci. The bacteria releases a toxin called erythrogenic exotoxin. This causes the pinkish rash on the body of the affected child. Kids who are sensitive to the toxin may develop the scarlet fever symptoms.

Symptoms
There are a few common symptoms that help identify this disease. These include a rash on the body that appears like red bumps. They are most commonly spotted on the chest and stomach area. However, this rash can spread to other parts of the body as well. You can compare this rash to a bad case of sunburn. The skin becomes rough like sandpaper due to the strep rash. This skin rash lasts for about 2 to 7 days. When the rash is gone, the skin on the tip of the fingers as well as toes begin to peel off.

The infected person may also have a flushed face like appearance. The area around the lips looks pale and the child may have a sore throat. The sore throat is deep red in color with patches of white or yellow. The child may have swollen lymph nodes in neck with fever of about 101ºF. Sometimes the child may experience chills. The child may have difficult swallowing food and water. One may even complain of headaches, nausea, malaise, appetite loss and broken blood vessels (Pastia's lines) in the groin, armpits, elbow and knees. Some children may have a stomachache and vomiting as one of the symptoms.

The most prominent symptom apart from the rash is the strawberry pink tongue. The tongue is coated in white initially that slowly turns red and swollen. One can distinguish the rash as scarlet fever by pressing a glass against the rash. The rash will turn color into white (blanche) when pressed against by a glass. In some severe cases, the patient may develop toxic shock syndrome.

Is it Contagious?
Scarlet fever is a very contagious air-borne disease. It is transmitted through the fluids in the mouth and nose. The airborne droplets containing the bacteria are transmitted through cough and sneeze. When these droplets land on door knobs, table surfaces, water glasses, etc. the bacteria is easily transmitted from the hands that touch these surfaces. Sharing handkerchiefs, towels, clothes, bed linen, etc. also increases the risk of transmission. Even after the rash is long gone, the person remains contagious for several weeks. However, people who are susceptible to the toxins released by the bacteria, develop scarlet fever.

Treatment
If the child is diagnosed with scarlet fever, treatment includes antibiotic medications. The child may be prescribed penicillin, amoxicillin, clindamycin, etc. The antibiotic treatment dosage is for about 10 days. The fever tends to reduce within 12 to 24 hours of taking medication. The child should be given plenty of liquids to drink. As the child cannot swallow food, you can give him some soft foods. Keep the child in normal room temperature and you can make them wear loose cotton clothing. You can apply calamine lotion on the skin to reduce the itching.

There are many herbal and homeopathic remedies that you can try to treat scarlet fever. Apart from the homeopathic remedies, you can give children over 4 years of age lozenges to treat sore throat. If the child is old enough, you can ask him to carry out saltwater gargle. This will help reduce the discomfort the child may be feeling. With the presence of antibiotics, scarlet fever is treatable within a week of infection. If one does not take immediate treatment, it may lead to complications such as pneumonia, throat abscess, rheumatic fever, etc. In extremely rare cases, meningitis, endocarditis and toxic shock syndrome may occur. Speak to the health care provider for more details and treatment options in case a child develops scarlatina.