Another Scarlett Fever question…

[Staronmytree]

So does scarlett fever HAVE to be treated with antibiotics or can it get better by itself?

I’m just curious as it’s not clear.

With antibiotics, the patient is contagious for 24 hours after treatment. Without, they are contagious for 1-2 weeks. So better to have antibiotics, but in mild cases, not essential.

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/scarlet-fever

If it’s mild then yes it will eventually get better, but treatment reduces the risks of complications as well as infectiousness

It can get better by itself but it's advisable to have antibiotics so it doesn't turn nasty.

It doesn't have to be treated with antibiotics but antibiotics stop you from being contagious once you've bene on them for 24hrs, without the you'd be contagious for around two weeks. Antibiotics also reduce the risk of developing complications.

As it's a notifiable disease there is a fixed exclusion period for school/nursery/work and anyone affected is excluded until 24hrs after they commence antibiotics. If you didn't start antibiotics then I supposed you'd be excluded for entire contagious period of two weeks.

Antibiotics really advisable. It can turn into rheumatic fever or myocarditis otherwise. I had it in 2017, didn’t get treated promptly because I thought I just felt under the weather due to tiredness (I took that shit everywhere! The scarlet fever and I went on all kinds of unknowing social adventures together for several days) and by the time a doctor friend eventually told me I looked like something she’d only seen previously seen in a text book the bacteria had properly taken hold. I was on super strength antibiotics for about a year afterwards.

Also I think the mortality rate pre-antibiotics was something like 20% - it was one of the great Victorian child killers.

I wouldn’t consider not using antibiotics with scarlet fever. It can be extremely serious, even deadly.

Oh my god I didn't realise this. What if you're allergic to antibiotics?!

It would be very rare to be allergic to all antibiotics. In the case of mild allergic reaction, you can be prescribed antihistamine alongside the antibiotics or you might have to stay in hospital for the duration of your course - someone I'm related to is allergic to several of the first line antibiotics commonly in use, last time they had an infection they did the first two days of the course in hospital so they could be monitored.

If you have scarlet fever do you always have the obvious rash? Or can you have it without the rash? What I'm wondering is would I definitely know if my kids had it?

Thank you that's super handy as I am indeed allergic to many antibiotics.

The rash is a very common characteristic but you can get it without the rash or with a very mild rash. DC friend had it last year and his rash was just one small patch on his tummy. Strawberry tongue is another very common characteristic and is pretty unmistakable.

It's like how a fever on its own wouldn't make you think GAS but a fever with additional symptoms such a headache, chills, nausea, rash, etc would increase the certainty that it could be.

We had a meeting about this in school so the staff are all aware, I'm stuffed full of facts today

DD had a mild case of Scarlet Fever 20 years ago when she was 6. The doctor thought it was a non descript viral infection so she was not prescribed antibiotics. She had a sore throat and the blotchy rash but wasn't too poorly in herself, if she had become noticeably unwell I definitely would have got further medical advice. It was only a week or so later when my mum visited and saw her hands and feet peeling that Scarlet Fever was suggested. Doctor confirmed and when school where informed, they were quite surprised as thankfully no other children had been ill.

I was 6 months pregnant so midwives kept a close eye on me for a few weeks.

My son son contracted it a few weeks ago high temp, sore throat and lethargic I had no idea . Took him to the doctors as he had a rash round his mouth, on examination she confirmed strawberry tounge and the rash on his torso the rash was really fine I could hardly see it. He had a few days of being a bit off but was back at school 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotics. My daughter didn't catch it.

My youngest had strep throat and suspected Scarlet Fever a few years back and was put on antibiotics without any hesitation.

My son had it, I took him to GP at lunchtime but mid-afternoon saw me having to carry him semi-conscious in to hospital where he stayed for 10 days; it can be incredibly dangerous. Afterwards, he was under the consultant for years due to what it had done to him.
Please don’t ever take it lightly.