Symptoms to detect if your child has scarlet fever

Scarlet fever is a very common disease that usually occurs in children between 4 and 8 years old, although there are also cases in younger children. It is caused by a bacterium called beta-hemolytic streptococcus with several strains, so that a vaccine would be useless and ineffective; In addition,

The symptoms of scarlet fever in children can be confused at first with those of the flu and, in a more advanced stage of the disease, with other diseases such as measles. Therefore, as soon as the first symptoms appear, we should go to the pediatrician to do a culture of the throat and can locate the disease exactly, which should be treated with the appropriate antibiotic.

5 symptoms to detect if your child suffers from scarlet fever

1- Rash. It is its most characteristic symptom and can be confused with a sunburn, although in a short time it becomes rough to the touch and itches. It usually begins with the face, neck, armpits and groin, and then extends to the rest of the body forming red lines in the body folds. Normally the redness usually disappears after 5 days, but the skin begins to peel shortly afterwards.

2- Sore throat. The child begins not to feel like eating and his throat hurts. If we see inside, the tonsils may be red and covered by a white membrane, which can be confused with tonsillitis.

3- Strawberry tongue. The tongue tends to become reddish and the papillae enlarge causing a strawberry appearance.

4- High fever. Appears together with a sore throat, but usually disappears at 48 hours after antibiotic treatment. To combat fever, ibuprofen can be given to the child but it is not advisable to give aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid.

5- Nausea and vomiting. It usually appears with the first symptoms, for which it is important to keep the child hydrated at all times, and see the doctor as soon as possible to begin antibiotic treatment.

In addition to these symptoms to detect if your child has scarlet fever, others are common such as headache, swelling of the neck glands, abdominal pain and malaise.

It is quite contagious while the symptoms last para, for which it is convenient to have a careful hygiene with the glasses and hands, and not to share utensils with friends or siblings.Do not worry too much, scarlet fever is a very common disease in which, if antibiotics are taken quickly, the symptoms disappear in the first 48 hours after treatment, and in about three days the child can return to school.

There are no complications if treated properly, however, if neglected, can lead to rheumatic fever and glomerulonephritis, a disease that takes place in the kidneys and has to do with the leakage of blood.