Scarlet fever By Brittany Brewer

Scarlet fever is a disease caused by bacteria called group A Streptococcus or group A strep. Scarlet fever is a rash that sometimes occurs in people that have strep throat. People with scarlet fever typically have a high fever and a strawberry-like appearance on their tongue.

Scarlet fever can be caught from contact with the sick person because this germ is carried in the mouth and nasal fluids. The rash looks like really bad sunburn on the skin and tiny bumps that may itch. The rash usually appears on the face and neck first, often leaving an unaffected area around the mouth.

Scarlet fever rarely affects people older than 18 and is most common in children 5 to 15 years of age. Scarlet fever was a feared disease in the 19 th century, and it caused devastation an high morality. In the 1860’s, the morality rate from the disease was 972 per million of the population.

This disease is treated with antibiotics and is usually resolved without any complications.

scarletfever.htm scarletfever.htm erial_viral/scarlet_fever.html erial_viral/scarlet_fever.html