Is Scarlet Fever Contagious?

Outbreaks of scarlet fever have reduced considerably over the last few decades, and now, most of the cases of scarlet fever reported are not severe and can be treated within a couple of weeks, at the most. The more severe cases are becoming rarer. What exactly is this scarlet fever? How is it caused? And is it contagious? The following paragraphs will solve these doubts.

Scarlet Fever - An Overview

Scarlet fever was a really serious disease till just a few decades ago, when the first preliminary vaccine was developed in 1924, by a husband-wife duo - Gladys and George Dick. Then came penicillin in the 1940s. Till then there were many fatalities due to this disease. There have been quite a few epidemics of scarlet fever throughout history, with some of the worst epidemics being recorded between 1735-1740 in New England, 1764 in Boston, 1787 in Maine, 1861-1862 in Fredericksburg, and 1908 in New York. This disease, caused by the streptococcal bacteria, is contagious from the time one contracts it, to 24 hours after the treatment has started. Its symptoms include-

* sore throat
* swollen red tongue
* fever
* chills
* pinkish red rash all over the body
* muscle aches
* abdominal aches
* headaches

Scarlet fever is common in children, but rare in . The treatment for scarlet fever is generally antibiotic, which can cure the fever in a week's time, though it still takes around 3 - 4 weeks for the rash to disappear completely.
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