TREATING SCARLET FEVER

THERE have been 70 cases of scarlet fever reported in Greater Manchester in the last week alone, twice as many as last year,

The suspected cases of the highly contagious infection were reported to Public Health England (PHE) in the week ending February 4.

The figure is double that recorded at the end of the same week last year.

Manchester saw the highest number of reports in the week to February 4, with 16, up from seven in the same week in 2017.

It was followed by Wigan with 12 cases, up from three, with 11 cases in Stockport, seven in Trafford, six in Bolton, five in Tameside, four each in Rochdale and Salford, three in Bury, and two in Oldham.

Since the start of the year, there have been 177 cases of scarlet fever reported in Greater Manchester, up from 88 in the same period in 2017.

Numbers also appear to be rising week on week, with 70 in the week to February 4, compared to 54 the week before, 23 in the week to January 21, and 16 in the week to January 14.

The latest PHE data marks yet another rise in cases of scarlet fever the region this winter.

In the six weeks to January 7, covering December and the festive period, 134 suspected cases of scarlet fever have been reported to Public Health England (PHE) in the area.

The number of reports is much higher than in the same period in the previous five years. neck glands, loss of appetite and red lines in the folds of the body, such as the armpit, which may last a couple of days after the rash has gone.

A white coating on the tongue, which peels a few days later leaving the tongue red and swollen (this is known as strawberry tongue) is also a symptom.

Scarlet fever used to be a very serious illness, but nowadays most cases tend to be mild.

It can easily be treated with antibiotics. Liquid antibiotics, such as penicillin or amoxicillin, are often used to treat children. These must be taken for 10 days, even though most people recover after four to five days.

It’s important to be aware that your child will still be infectious for 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has begun, and therefore they shouldn’t attend nursery or school during this period.

Without antibiotic treatment, your child will be infectious for one to two weeks after symptoms appear.

With the right treatment, further problems are unlikely. However, there’s a small risk of the infection spreading to other parts of the body and causing more serious infections, such as an ear infection, sinusitis, or pneumonia.