A LETTER has been sent to nurseries and children’s facilities after a number of cases of scarlet fever were confirmed in these settings.
Dr Ivan Muscat, deputy medical officer for health, said that parents and carers who are concerned their child may have the fever to visit their GP immediately and to keep them off school or nursery for at least 24 hours after starting the antibiotic treatment.
In his letter, Dr Muscat wrote: ‘Scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, but it should be treated with antibiotics to minimise the risk of complications and reduce the spread to others.
‘The symptoms of scarlet fever include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. This is followed by a fine red rash which typically first appears on the chest and stomach, rapidly spreading to other parts of the body. On more darkly pigmented skin, the rash may be harder to spot, but it should feel like sandpaper. The face can be flushed red but pale around the mouth.’
