According to the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, over the last two years there has been a 15-fold increase in the number of cases of scarlet fever, also known as scarlet fever. The disease mainly affects schools and kindergartens. Experts emphasize that its symptoms cannot be ignored. They also show you how to recognize them.
Increased incidence of scarlet fever. Experts warn
Even though scarlet fever is no longer as dangerous as it was years ago thanks to the availability of antibiotics, its complications can still be very dangerous. In recent years, the number of cases has increased significantly. According to the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, even 15 times.
Scarlet fever mainly affects toddlers and preschool children. It is a bacterial disease caused by group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes). In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases, which experts attribute to the passage of the pandemic and the weakened immunity of Poles.
Scarlet fever is transmitted through droplets. There is currently no vaccine for this disease, but it can be cured with antibiotics. According to GIS, an untreated person is most infectious from the 3rd to the 21st day of illness.
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Dramatic GIS data. The pandemic is to blame
According to the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, almost 23.5 thousand cases were recorded from the beginning of the year to the end of March. cases of scarlet fever. Comparing this result to the same period last year, there was an increase of over 10,000. cases. In 2022, between January and March, only 1,434 cases of scarlet fever were diagnosed. Since that period, there has been a 15-fold increase in Poland.
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Experts emphasize that this situation is largely related to the period after the coronavirus pandemic and increased interpersonal contacts. The pandemic has significantly weakened disease resistance in a large proportion of citizens.
Doctors warn that complications after scarlet fever can be very serious
As Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski emphasizes in an interview with Polsat News, the disease is still very dangerous from a medical point of view. It can cause complications such as kidney and heart diseases, and even permanent damage to the immune system.
A strain of bacteria has become widespread that is more toxic than average, this is the so-called British strain – says the expert.
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The symptoms of scarlet fever are usually similar to those of angina. They include a sore throat, headache, high temperature, as well as swollen lymph nodes and a characteristic rash that spreads all over the body except the hands and feet.
In children suffering from scarlet fever, parents should pay attention to the tongue, which in case of infection becomes covered with a white coating and over time becomes very red. Lingual papillae are also visible.
