Scarlet fever at highest level since the Sixties

Cases of scarlet fever have hit levels not seen since the Sixties, Public Health England (PHE) has warned.

Doctors are urging parents to look out for symptoms such as rashes, fever, “strawberry tongue” and sore throats after the number of sufferers shot up over the past three weeks. There were 735 cases of scarlet fever in England and Wales during the week ending on Jan 28, making it the biggest seven-day outbreak since April 2017.

Incidents of the infection, which is most common among children aged between two and eight, have been up since 2014, with officials struggling to work out why numbers have risen.

According to PHE data, there were 5,743 cases recorded since July last year. In the early 20th century it was a leading cause of child mortality.