HOUSTON – Pediatricians throughout the Houston area are reporting seeing cases of scarlet fever in kids.
It's a nasty red rash that immediately conjures up worry for parents and it's cropping up everywhere.
Pediatrician Dr. Debra Cutler with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic told Local 2 that when examining patients she looks to see, "If they have a sore throat, does it hurt when you swallow, do you have any headache, if you check them (and) their glands are swollen and they just kind of look miserable."
Scarlet fever or Scarlatina is brought on by the same bacteria that causes strep throat.
Cutler explained, "You can carry strep in your throat. You can carry it in your nose. Some people even get scarlet fever rashes from having had a wound on their skin that gets infected with the strep bacteria."
The telltale sign is a red, "sandpapery" rash that starts on the chest and stomach then spreads.
A whitish coating can appear on the tongue and the tongue itself sometimes looks bumpy and red like a strawberry.
Other symptoms include:
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a flushed face while pale around the lips
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red, sore throat with white or yellow patches
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a fever 101 degrees or higher
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and swollen glands in neck.
Fortunately, it's now easily treated.
Cutler said, "Antibiotics by mouth and nowadays, we recommend just treating it with Amoxicillin just once a day, the same way you treat a strep throat."
But there is one side effect of treatment you need not worry about.
Cutler explained, "When (the rash) starts to go away or even afterwards kids get peeling of their hands or their feet or their groin area and then they start to freak out, but it's just part of the rash resolving."
Once your child is being treated for scarlet fever, it's important that they not return to school or day care until they're feverless for at least 24 hours.
It only takes a couple of days from being infected for the symptoms of scarlet fever to show up.
If you think your child has it, see your doctor immediately.