Scarlet fever in children

Scarlet fever most often affects children aged 2 to 9 years, since it is at this age that the child’s immunity has not yet been strengthened. There is no vaccine for scarlet fever. Streptococcus is the causative agent of scarlet fever. Most people in adulthood are asymptomatic carriers of streptococcus, so scarlet fever is quite common and the child’s body picks up the infection quite easily. After a disease, a strong immunity is developed for life.

Scarlet fever is a rather dangerous infectious disease, which is characterized by the development of severe complications, such as myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the renal glomeruli), pneumonia, rheumatism, etc. Previously, in the absence of the necessary medicines, scarlet fever often ended in death. Currently, due to the availability of effective antibacterial drugs, scarlet fever most often occurs in a mild form.

Symptoms of scarlet fever in children

The name of this disease comes from the Latin language (Latin scarlatum – red, scarlet). It describes a characteristic symptom – a red rash on the skin, tongue, throat. It is this characteristic red rash, of a certain size and localization, that allows the doctor to differentiate scarlet fever from other diseases and make an accurate diagnosis.

Looks like

A rash on the body and mucous membrane of the mouth and throat appears as a result of a reaction to erythrotoxin secreted by streptococcus, the causative agent of scarlet fever. This toxin acts on the blood vessels, causing them to dilate, burst and form red spots, i.e. a rash.

With a mild rash, or in the early stages of the disease, when the rash has not yet made itself felt, scarlet fever can be confused with tonsillitis. The disease is characterized by all the symptoms observed in tonsillitis. This is a coating of the palatine tonsils with an increase in their size, redness of the palate and pharynx, an increase in the cervical and axillary lymph nodes, as well as chills and fever. To summarize, scarlet fever is characterized by the following symptoms:

• An increase in temperature to 38 C and above with fever, with severe weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting;
• Symptoms of angina (enlargement of the tonsils with the formation of plaque and pustules on them);
• Reddening of the throat in the form of a “flaming throat”
• Bright red crimson tongue, covered with rashes.

What does a rash mean

The rash does not appear immediately, but develops gradually and reaches its maximum severity on the 3rd-5th day of the disease. Its appearance means that streptococci have already begun to actively secrete the toxin and it is carried by the blood throughout the body, affecting the walls of blood vessels. Rashes can appear in various places of the body: on the face, torso, in the armpits, in the region of the inguinal folds, on the neck, etc. On the 6-7th day of the disease, the rash turns pale, the skin in the affected areas begins to peel off and exfoliate, which is considered a favorable symptom and indicates that the child is recovering.

Language

If you look into the mouth of a patient with scarlet fever, you can see a red flaming tongue with enlarged papillae, a bright red palate and throat, enlarged tonsils. Doctors call such a throat a “flaming throat.”

Stages of scarlet fever in children

During the course of the disease, it goes through several stages from the incubation period (the first few days before the onset of symptoms of the disease) to complete recovery. Let’s consider all the stages in order:

• The incubation period lasts from the moment the child is infected until the first symptoms of the disease appear. This latent period of the disease can last up to 10 days;
• The onset of the disease is associated with the manifestation of symptoms of angina with an increase in temperature to 38 ° C and above. At this stage, the rash is still absent. Usually this stage lasts about 1 day;
• stage of the disease. A week after the onset of the disease, the child’s tongue becomes crimson, red rashes appear on the face, neck and torso. The rashes are similar to the rash with measles, rubella, but the hallmark of the rash with scarlet fever is that it does not affect the nasolabial triangle, and against the background of a red, rashed face, it remains pale. This stage can take up to 7 days from the onset of the disease;
• Recovery stage. At this stage, the rash turns pale, the skin in the places of the rash dries up and begins to peel off. Thus, the affected skin exfoliates, especially on the arms and legs. With proper treatment, the child will recover.

In the absence of the necessary treatment, scarlet fever can cause serious complications, such as myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), glomerulonephritis (kidney damage), and purulent foci in the liver and kidneys can develop.

Treatment of scarlet fever in children

Treatment of mild scarlet fever does not always require antibiotics. However, the decision on the advisability of taking antibacterial drugs and their selection are carried out only by a pediatrician. In moderate and severe form, antibiotics of the penicillin series are prescribed. In case of allergic reactions to antibiotics of this group, the doctor prescribes drugs of another group. It is also mandatory to take symptomatic drugs that help reduce the inflammatory response, antipyretics, antihistamines, as well as vitamins and drugs to reduce the symptoms of intoxication. Plentiful drinking is shown (tea, fruit drink, compote, etc.).

Is it possible to treat at home

Self-administration of drugs for the treatment of scarlet fever in a child is contraindicated. Only the pediatrician decides on the appointment of certain funds.

Since a patient with scarlet fever is contagious from the first day of the disease, he must be isolated in order to avoid the spread of infection. Inpatient treatment is indicated in the following cases:

• With a severe form of the disease;
• If the patient’s family has children under 10 years of age who have not suffered from scarlet fever;
• In the event that relatives working in kindergartens, schools and other educational institutions live in the family of the sick person.

Prevention of scarlet fever in children

Unfortunately, there is no vaccine against scarlet fever, so the main methods of prevention are isolation of the patient, as well as the establishment of a weekly quarantine in the classroom of a preschool or school institution that the sick child attended.

A child who has had scarlet fever at home is allowed to attend kindergarten or school only on the 22nd day after the onset of the disease. If the child is discharged from the hospital, he can start attending classes only on the 12th day after discharge.

One of the effective methods of preventing the disease is to follow the rules of personal hygiene, such as washing hands before eating, disinfecting personal belongings, toys of the child, avoiding visits to places with a large number of people.