Scarlet fever cases reach a 50-year high

CASES of scarlet fever have soared to their highest level in England for 50 years, figures show.

Last year there were more than 19,000 reported, the most since 1967 and seven times more than just five years earlier.

The bacterial illness is highly contagious and most cases occur in children under ten. Parents are being warned to contact their GP immediately if they spot symptoms. These include a sore throat, headache and fever, accompanied by a pink red rash.

The cause of the resurgence is not known, although countries such as Vietnam, China, South Korea and Hong Kong have also reported increases, said study leader Dr Theresa Lamagni.

Scarlet fever was a common cause of childhood death in Victorian Britain. Dr Lamagni, head of streptococcal surveillance at Public Health England, said: ‘Whilst current rates are nowhere near those of the early 1900s, the magnitude of the recent upsurge is greater than any documented in the last century.

‘Whilst notifications so far for 2017 suggest a slight decrease in numbers, we continue to monitor the situation.’