Hyderabad: Scarlet fever cases rise in children, experts warn against delaying treatment
Scarlet fever is highly contagious and can spread when the infected person sneezes or coughs in front of others; it can also spread by sharing food and water;
There is a steady rise in cases of scarlet fever in Hyderabad among children aged 5 to 15 years. Doctors warn that delaying treatment can have implications for the heart and kidney.
The scarlet fever is one of the many viral fevers causing havoc in the winter months in India.
Scarlet fever is a seasonal bacterial infection that can affect children and is caused by group A Streptococcus. It usually takes at least two to five days for the symptoms to show up once the child is exposed to the bacteria.
Also read: LIVE | HMPV: Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad report cases as Bengaluru babies recover
The symptoms
“We are seeing children 5 to 15 years of age with scarlet fever for the past few days,” Telangana Today quoted Hyderabad paediatrician Sivaranjani Santosh.
“If your child develops fever, red and painful tonsils with or without cream deposits, a diffuse red sandpaper like rash day two and/or a strawberry like tongue, please consult a paediatrician,” the doctor said.
The symptoms to look out for are fever with sore throat, strawberry like tongue and rash. Among the possible symptoms of the disease are difficulty in swallowing, feeling unwell, headache, itching, nausea, vomitting, swollen neck glands and broken blood vessels.
Fever’s causes
According to doctors, scarlet fever is highly contagious and can spread when the infected person sneezes or coughs on to other people without covering their mouth.
It can also spread by sharing food, water, touching the secretions and carrying them to the nose and mouth.
Parents have been requested not to send children to school till the child is fever-free for at least 24 hours.
Watch | China's HMPV virus news sparks alarm, but doctors question veracity
Early treatment
The infection can be treated with antibiotics. But parents are cautioned not to delay treatment as this can have implications for the heart and kidney.
There was a time when scarlet fever was seen as a serious childhood illness. Modern medicines have found an answer to its spread.
According to medical experts, children aged 5 to 15 years have a higher risk of developing the scarlet fever. Around 80 per cent of cases occur in children under 10 years.
Early treatment with antibiotics can prevent complications.