HEALTH MATTERS

DR Paul Bowen, GP with McIlvride Medical Practice, Poynton, and clinical chair of NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) THERE has been a lot of talk about scarlet fever, and a few additional cases around recently. It is important that both health professionals and parents and carers know how to spot the signs.

Scarlet fever is one of the diseases that usually spreads at this time of year – but a higher number of cases than expected has been seen so far in 2018. It mostly affects the under-10s and is less common in teenagers and adults.

Scarlet fever is very contagious. It’s spread in the tiny droplets found in an infected person’s breath, coughs and sneezes. Carry tissues and use them to catch coughs or sneezes, bin the used tissues as soon as possible and then wash hands to kill the germs. If possible, sneeze into your arm at the elbow, rather than your hands!

Symptoms of scarlet fever develop within a week of being infected.

Early signs include a sore throat, a headache, a high temperature (38.3C/101F or above) swollen glands in the neck and being sick. This may be followed by a rash on the body, a red face and a white or red tongue. The scarlet fever rash:

Usually starts on the chest or tummy before spreading to other areas.

Is made up of pink-red blotches that may join up feels like sandpaper (this may be the most obvious sign in someone with dark skin).

May be brightest red in body folds such as the armpits or elbows.

Turns white if you press a glass on it.

The rash doesn’t usually spread to the face but the cheeks may turn very red and look a bit like sunburn. The area around the mouth usually stays pale. Sometimes a white coating may form on the tongue, which peels away after a few days, leaving the tongue red and swollen. This is known as a ‘strawberry tongue.’

See your GP or call NHS 111 as soon as possible if:

You think that you or your child has scarlet fever.

You or your child has been treated for scarlet fever but the symptoms haven’t improved after a week or are getting worse.

Scarlet fever is usually a mild illness but can have some more severe complications. It is diagnosed by a GP or nurse, sometimes after a throat swab, and treated with antibiotics.

The spread from person to person can be slowed down or stopped by thorough hand washing and by keeping children off school for at least 24 hours after their GP has started them on antibiotics and until the child is well enough to go back.

For more information about scarlet fever and its symptoms, visit the NHS webpage at www.nhs.uk/ conditions/scarlet-fever/.