Scarlet fever cases among children in England at highest level since 1990

Cases of the highly infectious disease are at more than twice the average level for the time of year, says Public Health EnglandScarlet fever cases among young children in England are at their highest for more than 20 years, public health experts said on Friday.The once life-threatening and still highly contagious disease can usually be contained with a 10-day course of antibiotics, but schools and GPs have been warned to look out for symptoms while families have been "strongly advised" to keep their children at home for 24 hours after starting treatment. There is no preventative vaccine.Children aged between two and eight are the most at risk of catching scarlet fever, which is characterised by a rash and can be confused with that caused by measles, says Public Health England (PHE).Formal notifications of the disease to authorities since the infection season began in September last year now stand at 3,548 compared with an average of 1,420 over the same period for the last decade. More than 4,000 cases were reported in 1989/90, the last time disease levels were so high.Theresa Lamagni, PHE's head of streptococcal infection surveillance, said: "The first symptoms of scarlet fever often include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Between 12 to 48 hours after this, a characteristic rash develops. Cases are more common in children although adults can also develop scarlet fever. Symptoms usually clear up after a week and the majority of cases can be treated with ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Health Society Family Children Infectious diseases The Guardian News Source Type: news