My Niece Has Scarlet Fever, Shouldn't She Be Hospitalised With That?

Scarlet fever (also called scarletina, scarlatinella and scarlatina) used to be a really scarey disease.  It was sometimes responsible for permanent cardiac, kidney or neurological damage, and even death.  These all arose because of toxins released by the infecting bacteria (as their waste product) in the human body.

Two things have changed.  As occasionally occurs, mutations for the better have occurred in the usual bacteria that causes the condition (Group A Streptoccus).  So scarlet fever is believed to be less severe in people than it used to be.  It's more likely to appear in a mild form (scarlatina), and it is less toxic.

On top of that, we now treat it with antibiotics. This saves many lives.

Scarlet fever/scarlatina manifest with a red rash that often starts in the groin area.  It sometimes co-occurs with chickenpox outbreaks.  It can be distinguished from similar-looking conditions (like nappy rash or slapped cheek) by medical staff.  The period when the condition is supposed to be contagious (airbourne) depends who you ask.  But most sources agree that it is no longer contagious 24 hours after antibiotics are started.