All About Scarlet Fever Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & More

Scarlet Fever Symptoms – During our childhood, we get a huge number of diseases. Most of those are short-term diseases, and we easily recover from them in just a few days. 

Scarlet fever is one of those common diseases. Health experts in the United States believe that most kids between the age of 5 to 15 are going to get scarlet fever once in their lifetime. Apart from that, it can also affect adults, and everyone should learn its basics to ensure their safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend Americans learn about common diseases. This knowledge can help you diagnose your kid or yourself for these common diseases and get the best-in-class treatment.

What is Scarlet Fever?

Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is caused by Group A streptococcus bacteria. It is also the same bacteria that is known to cause strep throat. Usually, scarlet fever affects kids between the age of 5 to 15, but it can affect everyone.

Health experts around the world gave the name scarlet fever because of its biggest symptom. During scarlet fever, the patient will develop a bright red rash that will spread all over the body.

The rash is also going to be a little bit bumpy, and your healthcare expert might also refer to it as a sandpaper rash. Usually, healthcare experts recommend antibiotics to kill the bacteria and treat the condition.

Scarlet fever might not cause severe conditions, but you should seek immediate medical assistance.

What are the Causes of Scarlet Fever?

Scarlet fever is usually caused by the same bacteria which is known to cause Strep throat. Health experts refer to this bacteria as Group A streptococcus. 

Group A streptococcus is a highly contagious bacteria, and it can spread from person to person by droplets. If anyone around you is struggling with scarlet fever, then you should make sure you are following complete protection, as the bacteria can spread through sneezes and coughs.

• Scarlet fever can spread through tiny droplets of cough and sneeze.
• It can also spread after touching a non-living surface, as the virus can live for hours without any host.
• The fever can also spread if you touch Soares on the skin caused by the bacteria.

Health experts suggest everyone use a high-quality mask, hand sanitizer, and social distancing whenever they are assisting a person who has been diagnosed with scarlet fever.

The fever might be common in kids between the ages of 5 to 15, but it can also affect adults, and everyone should ensure their safety under any circumstances.

What are the Symptoms of Scarlet Fever?

Before the symptoms of scarlet fever start to appear, there is the incubation period of the fever, and you might not develop any symptoms of the condition during that time.

There is a 2 to 4 days incubation period for scarlet fever, as per the Centers for Disease control and prevention.

Health experts also believe that the first 2 symptoms of scarlet fever are going to be a sore throat and general fever. The red rash, which is the trademark of scarlet fever, will appear after 2 to 3 days of the start of the symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and prevention will leave the below-given symptoms associated With scarlet fever.

• Fever
• Sore throat
• Red rash
• Red lines on the skin
• Difficulty while swallowing 
• vomiting
• Headache
• Abdominal pain 
• body aches

These are among the most common symptoms of scarlet fever. Usually, scarlet fever does not cause severe symptoms of the condition, but you can experience it under some conditions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest Americans seek immediate medical assistance if they are experiencing any of the below-given symptoms.

• Fever above 38 degrees Celsius.
• Swollen or tender glands in the neck
• Red rash on the body.
• Trouble while breathing
• Chest pain 
• rapid breathing
• Inability to swallow 
• Shortness of breath
• Confusion
• Drooling 
• Dehydration
• Severe diarrhea

Kindly do not ignore any of the above-given symptoms and consult the treatment with their healthcare provider. There are different treatment options available for scarlet fever, and you should be seeking them as early as possible.

There can be a huge number of symptoms associated with the condition. Fever, along with the red rash on the body, are 2 of the most common signs of scarlet fever.

How to Diagnose Scarlet Fever?

Once you have understood the major symptoms of scarlet fever, now it is time for us to understand all the options available for the diagnosis of scarlet fever.

Usually, healthcare experts are capable of diagnosing scarlet fever during a physical exam. Your healthcare expert might ask you about the symptoms you are experiencing and take a deep look at your current condition.

Still, your healthcare expert might suggest you go for a rapid strep test to figure out whether you have been infected with Group A streptococcus bacteria or not. During the test, your healthcare expert will use a swab similar to the COVID Rapid test.

There is another popular throat culture test that can help your healthcare provider diagnose your condition. The throat culture test is more accurate than the rapid strep test. We also recommend everyone go with the throat culture test for its accuracy. This test might take around 28 to 48 hours to deliver the results.

What is The Treatment for Scarlet Fever?

The treatment of scarlet fever can be straightforward. As the disease is caused by Group A bacteria, your healthcare provider will prescribe you antibiotics to kill the bacteria and help you recover.

With the help of antibiotics, your body is going to kill the bacteria causing the infection and help you recover in just a few days. At the same time, antibiotics can also help your body in shortening the time frame of sickness.

Healthcare experts also believe that antibiotics can also help prevent infection in others. As you are already aware, Group A bacteria is highly infectious, and you can also spread scarlet fever to others.

After 24 hours of consuming antibiotics, you will no longer be contagious with the disease, and you can resume your day-to-day activities. Your healthcare expert might also suggest you take some other medicines, including Tylenol and ibuprofen, to control the fever and minimize sore throat.

 When it comes to the treatment of scarlet fever, you should remember that you are supposed to consult with your healthcare provider. Yes, your healthcare provider will also suggest you take some antibiotics, but it doesn’t mean that you can give these antibiotics to your kid without consulting with your healthcare provider.

Even over-the-counter medicines are known to cause severe complications in kids. You should be very well aware of this fact and always consult with your healthcare provider.

Home Remedies for Scarlet Fever

When you visit your healthcare provider for the treatment of scarlet fever coma, your healthcare provider will also suggest you go for some home remedies as they are also capable enough to help you in recovery.

• First of all, you should make sure you are resting as much as possible during the infection to help your body fight the infection without any extra effort.
• You should also keep yourself hydrated, as high-grade fever is known to cause dehydration. Dehydration can further enhance the intensity of symptoms and cause new symptoms as well.
• To recover from symptoms like sore throat, you can go with salt water gargle. Healthcare experts suggest salt water gargling treatment for everyone above the age of 5.
• Dry air can also cause discomfort, and you can use a humidifier to get better.

Apart from the above-given suggestions, you can also go for some soothing foods that can help you recover from sore throat and other symptoms. You should always try to consume easy-to-swallow food items during scarlet fever.

You can try different food items, including soups, cooked cereal, mashed potatoes, yogurt, soft cooked eggs, and soft fruits. These food items won’t put much pressure on your metabolism, and they will give you some time to your body to focus on recovery.

Kindly do not consume alcohol, tobacco, spicy foods, and acidic food items during the condition. These food items are known to enhance the intensity of symptoms and even cause severe complications.