One of the classic child tragedies of Victorian literature was the effect of scarlet fever on a little tot. Anything from a week of ‘fever and crisis’ through to an actual deathbed scene. So should we be panicking about the recent upswing in Scarlet Fever? In short, no. For two reasons:
1 – the Scarlet Fever of the Victorian age was a much more virulent infection which led to many child fatalities. Today’s infection, whilst distressing to experience, is a weaker pathogen with far fewer severe symptoms.
2 – today’s antibiotics act rapidly to diminish the symptoms of Scarlet Fever which are, in themselves, nowhere near as serious as they used to be.
Even so, the substantial increase in cases, rising from 5,746 in 2015 to 12,906 in 2016, is worrying many parents and nannies.
Why is Scarlet Fever on the increase?
There are a couple of possible reasons, but we don’t have a definitive answer. The first is that the early symptoms of Scarlet Fever can be confused with influenza. This is because the infection is highly contagious. That first day of confusion can lead to a lot more people, particularly children, catching the fever. That seems to fit with the regional increase in cases which have arisen in London, Yorkshire and the Midlands in particular. The second reason is that Scarlet Fever’s epidemiology seems to have cycles of around every four years. This means that every fourth or fifth year there may simply be a much higher occurrence of the illness.
What are the symptoms of Scarlet Fever?
- Most famously there’s the red rash which is rough to the touch and looks like sunburn. It often starts on the chest and stomach and travels rapidly to the neck, ears, inner thighs, groin and elbows. However, if the rash doesn’t appear immediately, you need to look out for:
- Loss of appetite and either nausea or vomiting, or both. This nausea is often accompanied by a sore throat, high temperature and headache, which is what causes it to be confused with flu.
- Finally, to determine if the disease is Scarlet Fever in absence of a rash, look out for a white coating to the tongue which peels after a couple of days.
How is Scarlet Fever spread?
The infection is easily spread through:
- inhaling bacteria that had been exhaled when an infected person sneezes or coughs.
- touching the skin of a person with the skin rash, or sharing towels, clothes or bed linen or using the same bath or shower.
- more rarely it can be caught from a carrier; somebody who has the bacteria in their throat or on their skin surface but don’t exhibit any symptoms.
How to limit the transmission of Scarlet Fever
- As 80% of cases are in children aged 2-8 years. It’s important to get your nanny and all other childcare workers to understand the symptoms.
- If nanny has any concerns about your child, or children that your child associates with. It’s important to ensure the child is seen by a G.P.
- Once you know that there’s an outbreak of Scarlet Fever in your area, you can take extra precautions such as cleaning showers and baths with antibacterial sprays. Also not planning any group trips to swimming pools or other areas where the infection is likely to be transmitted.
- Rapid treatment with antibiotics will give your child a more comfortable convalescence. So ensuring they are seen for treatment is the best way to reduce the Victorian melodrama to manageable proportions!