Content
Scarlet fever is a very contagious disease, which usually appears in children between 5 and 15 years of age and manifests itself through sore throat, high fever, very red tongue and redness and sandpaper-itchy skin.
This disease is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus beta-hemolytic group A and is a benign disease very common in childhood, being a form of tonsillitis that also presents with spots on the skin, and that needs to be treated with antibiotics.
Although it can cause a lot of discomfort and be extremely contagious, scarlet fever is not usually a serious infection and can be easily treated with antibiotics like penicillin or amoxicillin. The indicated treatment time is 10 days, but it is also possible to make a single injection of benzathine penicillin.
Main symptoms
The most characteristic symptom of scarlet fever is the appearance of a sore throat with a high fever, but other signs and symptoms that are also common include:
- Reddish tongue, raspberry color;
- Whitish plaques on the tongue;
- White plaques in the throat;
- Redness in the cheeks;
- Lack of appetite;
- Excessive tiredness;
- Stomach ache.
Several reddish spots may appear on the skin, with a texture similar to several pinheads and their appearance may even look like sandpaper. After 2 or 3 days it is common for the skin to start peeling.
The diagnosis of scarlet fever is based on the pediatrician's assessment of the signs and symptoms of the disease, but laboratory tests can also be ordered to confirm the infection, which may include a quick test to identify the bacteria or a microbial culture from the saliva.
How to get scarlet fever
The transmission of scarlet fever occurs through the air through the inhalation of droplets originating from the cough or sneeze of another infected person.
Scarlet fever, although more common in children, can also affect adults, and can happen up to 3 times in life, as there are 3 different forms of the bacteria that cause this disease. The times when children are most affected are in the spring and summer.
Closed environments favor the spread of the disease, such as, for example, daycare centers, schools, offices, cinemas and shopping malls. However, although a person may come into contact with the bacteria that causes the disease, this does not mean that they develop it, as this will depend on their immune system. Thus, if one of the brothers develops scarlet fever the other may only suffer from tonsillitis.
How the treatment is done
Scarlet fever is treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, azithromycin or amoxicillin, which can eliminate the bacteria from the body. However, in case of allergy to penicillin, treatment is usually done using the antibiotic erythromycin to decrease the risk of allergic reactions.
The treatment usually lasts between 7 to 10 days, but after 2 to 3 days the symptoms are expected to alleviate or disappear. See more details on how the treatment is done and how to relieve the symptoms of scarlet fever.