Scarlet Fever is an infection that is most prevalent in children. It can be alarming when your little one develops a bright red rash across their body, however, scarlet fever is easily treatable with antibiotics.

In this blog, we outline what you need to know about scarlet fever in kids.

What Is Scarlet Fever?

Scarlet fever is an illness caused by Strep A bacteria. It presents as a bumpy rash that covers most of the body. The rash appears bright red on white skin. On brown or black skin, it may be harder to see but can be felt due to its rough, bumpy texture.

Although scarlet fever is more common in children, anyone can develop the infection. If you or any of your family members develop signs of scarlet fever, contact your GP as soon as possible.

How Is Scarlet Fever Spread?

Scarlet fever is contagious and easily spread through contact or airborne droplets. A child can develop a Strep A infection by touching the skin of an infected person, touching contaminated surfaces, sharing linen, towels, clothes, etc., or breathing in airborne droplets from an infected person’s sneeze or cough.

As scarlet fever is so easily spread, it is important to educate your children on good hand hygiene as well as disposing of dirty tissues and covering their mouths when coughing/sneezing.

If you think your child is developing Strep A or scarlet fever, it is always best to keep them at home to prevent the spread of the infection.

Signs To Look Out For

The rash tends to start small and will first appear on the chest and abdomen before spreading across the body. Aside from the bright red rash (where scarlet fever gets its name), there are other signs to look out for, including:

· White/yellow coating across the tongue (that peels, leaving the tongue looking pink and raw)

· High temperature

· Sore throat

· Swollen glands (lumps in the neck that are sensitive to touch)

· Aching muscles

· Flush red face/cheeks (almost like sunburn)

· Loss of appetite

· Nausea and vomiting

How Is Scarlet Fever In Kids Treated?

Scarlet fever in kids was once considered to be a concerning childhood illness. In some cases, for example, if a child is immunocompromised, scarlet fever can still be a dangerous illness to contract.

Thankfully, in the vast majority of cases, scarlet fever in kids is easily treated with antibiotics. Over-the-counter medicines recommended for cold and flu symptoms, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen may ease symptoms of scarlet fever but will not treat the bacterial infection.

If you think your child may have scarlet fever, you must contact your GP and make an appointment as they will need to prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection.

A GP may be able to diagnose scarlet fever simply by looking at the rash and discussing symptoms. Alternatively, they may also want to swab the back of the throat to see if the bacteria is present. In some cases, they may also do a blood test.

Antibiotics will help your little one recover quicker, reduce the chance of further health complications (such as pneumonia) and reduce the risk of spreading the infection. If they do end up complications such as pneumonia steam showers can help.