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What is scarlet fever?

Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is a bacterial infection that is characterised by a red rash covering most of the body. It mainly affects children, but can in rare cases affect adults.

What are the symptoms?

The first signs of scarlet fever are usually a high fever (above 38C) and swollen neck glands, which can cause difficulty with swallowing. After a few days, symptoms also include:

The symptoms of scarlet fever are the same in children and adults.

How is scarlet fever diagnosed?

Scarlet fever diagnosis is very quick and involves two steps:

Sometimes the GP might arrange a blood test to check for infection elsewhere.

What causes scarlet fever?

Scarlet fever is caused by a type of bacteria which also causes strep throat, and appears after the symptoms of strep throat are already apparent. It is a contagious disease, meaning that the bacteria spreads easily from person to person. In most cases, a child who gets scarlet fever will contract it from the children around them in school.

Children aged 5-15 are the most likely to get scarlet fever.

How do you prevent scarlet fever?

You can reduce your risk of getting scarlet fever by reducing the amount that you come into contact with bacteria from other people. Easy steps to reduce your risk include:

How is it treated?

Scarlet fever can be treated by taking antibiotics. These should cure you of scarlet fever within a week. It’s common for your symptoms to go away faster than this – but it is important to take the full course of antibiotics or the symptoms may come back.

In the meantime, you can relieve the symptoms by taking painkillers and avoiding throat pain by drinking cold drinks and eating soft foods.

A child who is taking antibiotics can generally return to school after 24 hours of taking their first antibiotic, as they will no longer be contagious.