Scarlet Fever Symptoms
The fever usually has an incubation period of between two and eight days even though the average time is usually four to five days. Intense attack may however take shorter time to incubate-less than twenty four hours. During incubation, a child may show some slight indisposition.
The primary evidence of the disease is a chill. Children complain of a chilly feeling which is followed by high fever. Serious symptoms usually follow a few hours afterwards. High sensitive children usually experience convulsion, which is basically the very first sign of the disease. Vomiting is predominant in both mild and serious cases. The pulse rate becomes rapid as well as high body temperatures where the infected child complains a pungent smelling great heat.
There is a swelling on the throat that is normally painful making it hard for the sick child to swallow solid food stuffs. This is usually as a result of tonsil throat swellings in the throat. Also, children tend to lose appetite for food. This is usually sudden and is contributed by the pain in the throat that makes swallowing a painful experience to endure.
Infected children usually experience an expression of anxiety and suffering. They become restless, uneasy, and sleepless which is caused by the heat and stinging of the surface, and soreness of the throat. Further to that, a small red button in the chest and bottom appears and extends over the whole body (except the palms of the hand and foot plants). The skin is usually dry, hot, rough and in some cases itchy. These are common physical signs that some parents might dismiss but they are red lights that need to be taken seriously.
Another obvious symptom is the appearance of the characteristic red rash on the skin appears within 12 and 48 hours after the start of the fever. The skin turns pink and has small buttons that first appears in the neck and bending folds like armpits, elbow and thigh, which is usually prevalent within 24 hours after the first symptoms had been noted. A change in the skin texture to attain sandpaper-like feel is witnessed. This can multiply to the rest of the body within two or three days.
After the sixth day of the infection the rash starts to fade and a peeling, parallel to that of sunburned skin, occurs. Peeling of the skin is most prominent in the armpits, groin, and tips of the fingers and/or toes and may continue up to 6 weeks.
Parents are encouraged to be more vigilant and watch out for the aforementioned signs. An antibiotic prescription from a doctor may is all that is needed to treat scarlet fever but it is recommended it should be done as soon as the primary symptoms are experienced. Infected persons should be isolated from the rest of the of the population for atleast 24 hours after commencing the medication.