Scarlet fever in babies

In the world of childhood illnesses, the spotlight is on scarlet fever. Having been forgotten for decades, it is making a comeback. But rest assured — it has no serious consequences if treated. It's also important to recognise its symptoms, as it can resemble a common sore throat.

Scarlet fever: fact file

This illness primarily affects children from 2 years of age up to 15 years old. But as adults, you can catch it too. The key thing to remember is that it is bacterial.

And, you might ask, so what? It means there is an effective treatment to tackle it — namely antibiotic therapy. Because those unpleasant bouts that children go through are often viral. And as a result, you can only relieve the symptoms and wait for them to pass. Here, antibiotics will target the Streptococcus bacterium.

This bacterium is also known for causing red skin rashes that spread across the chest and neck, as well as the upper and lower limbs. However, before the spots appear, the young patient will develop a temperature. It will be more or less high and will be accompanied by an intense sore throat. You may also notice a white coating on the tongue.

And in some cases, abdominal pain and even vomiting can also be part of the picture.

Scarlet fever: the importance of treating it

As we said above, it is antibiotics that will clear it up. What's more, treatment reduces how contagious it is. Indeed, it is highly contagious for at least 10 days. And in some cases, this period extends to up to 3 weeks. But with appropriate antibiotic therapy, the patient can only pass it on for a maximum of 48 hours. This is precisely why a return to nursery is permitted once this period has elapsed. There are also rare but serious complications, which are mainly due to lack of treatment. These lead to infections in the ENT region — such as sinusitis, ear infection, and, more rarely, pneumonia. They can also lead to acute rheumatic fever, which can have consequences for the heart.

Also, screening is very important. As some patients have mild symptoms, in cases of a sore throat with a skin rash, do consider scarlet fever.

Our tips for getting through this period

As with hand, foot and mouth disease, the challenge will be getting your little one to eat — but above all to drink. Because with a sore throat, swallowing is more than difficult. So it will be a week of purées, soups, compotes and yoghurts. And of course, drinks will be a top priority. But avoid anything too acidic, such as orange juice. The acidity will intensify the pain and your child will be reluctant to try drinking at all.

Also, do calm activities with them. As they don't necessarily need to stay in bed the whole time. Small building or educational games will be perfect.

Finally, hand washing and disinfecting contaminated surfaces should become second nature.