What You Need to Know About Scarlet Fever, an Ancient Disease That Is Gaining Traction
In the old days, scarlet fever pervaded cities, killing children . (In fiction, he killed one in four Little Women and threatened at least one corduroy bunny owner .) The disease has never gone away, but is now gaining traction in Asia and the UK.
According to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, the number of scarlet fever cases in England tripled in 2014 and now stands at a 50-year record. This spike follows a sharp spike in scarlet fever cases in South Korea, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong.
But why?
Teresa Lamagni, the study’s lead author, told STAT that her team had quantified the trend but had no idea why. “We are left to think that it might be on the ground. At the moment we have no answer. “
Possible reasons are antibiotic resistance or the tendency of bacteria to produce scarlet fever toxin more often than before, just for fun.
How do people get scarlet fever?
Scarlet fever actually comes from the same bacteria that cause strep throat: Streptococcus pyogenes . Impetigo , a contagious rash that affects young children, is also caused by the same germ.
The main symptoms of scarlet fever are fever (yes), sometimes sore throat, and the characteristic scarlet rash with sandpaper that starts on the neck and spreads downward. Like strep throat, it is spread by coughing and sneezing.
Can we blame the opponents of vaccination for this?
I’m sorry but there is no. There is no vaccine for scarlet fever. (One was developed a long time ago, but it didn’t work very well . It has since been abandoned because the disease can be cured with antibiotics.)
Is scarlet fever on the rise in the United States?
Not that we know about it. Doctors do not need to report cases of scarlet fever to the CDC, so we have no data on how many cases there were. So far, however, no one has noticed a surge in the United States.
Is scarlet fever deadly?
Without treatment, it can be. In the days of the corduroy rabbits, the disease could be fatal in 30 percent of cases.
But today we have antibiotics. If you suspect that your child has scarlet fever (or, after reading this, you are sure that a pimple on the neck is the beginning of a flaky scarlet rash), see your doctor.