Scarlet fever in children: contagion, symptoms, incubation and complications

Scarlet fever is an exanthematous disease caused by Strepptococcus pyogenes common in children between 5 and 15 years of age.

Mode of transmission and contagiousness

The infection is transmitted through the respiratory tract, and droplets of saliva.

The child is contagious during the acute phase of the disease.

Healing occurs in 5-7 days with the progressive disappearance of the rash.

First signs

The first signs of the disease that last 1-3 days are:

• inflammation of the tonsils which are swollen and with the presence of whitish exudate
• microhemorrhages on the palate
• tongue with the typical “strawberry” appearance
• swollen and painful lymph nodes in the neck

The typical rash

The rash is bright red and appears a day or two after the onset of the illness. However, the rash can sometimes appear before the illness or up to 7 days after it. The rash first appears on the neck, armpits, and groin and later spreads over the body.

Typical is the presence of the “scarlatina mask” which consists of an area of ​​pallor between the nose, lips and chin which contrasts with the color of the face erythema.

Also typical is the “yellow hand sign”.

The rash lasts 4-5 days.

Incubation and healing

It has an incubation period (ie the time between infection and the manifestation of the disease) of 2-7 days during which sore throat, fever and headache may occur.

Treatment

With a simple throat swab it is possible to diagnose the presence of group A streptococcus responsible for scarlet fever.

If the test is positive, the doctor or pediatrician usually prescribes antibiotics. Antibiotics help the scarlet fever patient feel better sooner, prevent long-term health problems, and protect other people from the infection. The child must remain in isolation up to 24-48 hours after taking the antibiotic therapy. After these hours it is no longer contagious.

Complications of scarlet fever

Long-term health problems caused by scarlet fever are rare.

They include:

• rheumatic fever (inflammatory disease that can affect the heart, joints, skin, and brain)
•  Inflammation of the kidneys, called post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis
• Otitis media (ear infections)
• Skin infections
• Abscesses in the throat
• Pneumonia
• Arthritis

Treatment with antibiotics can prevent most of these health problems.

Prevent infection

There is no vaccine to prevent scarlet fever. The best way to avoid getting infected with the bacteria that causes scarlet fever is to take a few simple precautions such as:

• Wash your hands often, especially after coughing or sneezing and before preparing food or eating
• Wash glasses, cutlery and dishes after they have been used by the sick child
• Keeping your child home from school or daycare until you no longer have a fever and have been on antibiotics for at least 24-48 hours