Reignhead Primary School

In the past week we have had 2 cases of scarlet fever identified in early years.

Scarlet fever is highly contagious, so we are sharing with you the symptoms to look out for and if you suspect your child may have any of them to make a GP appointment as antibiotics will be needed if diagnosed:

*The first signs of scarlet fever can be flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature, a sore throat and swollen neck glands (a large lump on the side of your neck).

*A rash appears 12 to 48 hours later. It looks like small, raised bumps and starts on the chest and tummy, then spreads. The rash makes your skin feel rough, like sandpaper.

*On white skin the rash looks pink or red. On brown and black skin it might be harder to see a change in colour, but you can still feel the rash and see the raised bumps.

*A white coating also appears on the tongue. This peels, leaving the tongue red, swollen and covered in little bumps (called "strawberry tongue").

*The rash does not appear on the face, but the cheeks can look red. The redness may be harder to see on brown and black skin.

*Sometimes the skin peels, like sunburn, as the rash fades.

*The symptoms are the same for children and adults, although scarlet fever is less common in adults.