How To Identify Scarlet Fever:
Scarlet Fever is an acute infectious disease which is mainly spread by coughing and sneezing. The germ Streptococcus scarlatinae, which first affects the throat, is carried from the infected person, in air-borne droplets of water as they talk, sneeze or cough. The germ is in the saliva, and this can be passed on, not just through coughing and sneezing, but through the sick person touching other people, or by touching books, clothes, eating and drinking vessels, and food, and toys which have been handled by the patient.
The outbreak of Scarlet Fever in Hong Kong recently has caused people to wonder about the symptoms of the disease, and how best to treat it.
The Hong Kong variety of Scarlet Fever is not responding to the usual orthodox methods of treatment, such as penicillin and other antibiotics: I have put up several posts on alternative treatment for Scarlet Fever, which may prove to be useful for some people. These posts appear directly before this one. The most important preventative treatment to have handy is the Homeopathic Belladonna Remedy.
If You Think That Your Child May Have Scarlet Fever: Of course, it is best to have a Doctor or some other health professional look at your child, rather than make a diagnosis yourself. Always take your child to a health professional if they are sick. Children are vulnerable to the infection up to the age of about 15. Children seem more vulnerable around the age of four or five.
Learn Now About Scarlet Fever: However, being forewarned can often mean that you are forearmed, and so it is sensible to learn something about the illness, and its treatments, before the actual event occurs. Then, you can rush your child off to the doctor if you have assessed the infection is serious. If there is Scarlet Fever in the area, then you would begin Preventative treatment immediately, with that famous Prophylactic, the Homeopathic Belladonna Remedy. You would begin taking this preventative medicine BEFORE your child gets sick.
The Common Symptoms Of Scarlet Fever: How To Identify Scarlet Fever: The following are the common symptoms.
Sore Throat – This is one of the first symptoms to appear. The throat is sore well before the rash comes out. The child finds it difficult to swallow and refuses food.
Temperature Will Rise
There may be Fever – Perhaps delirium as well.
Vomiting– Perhaps with pain in the stomach.
Tongue – White-coated tongue to begin with. This changes to bright red after a day or two, known as ‘the strawberry tongue”.
Rash and Red Spots – Fine red spots develop on the trunk of the body within 24 hours of the sore throat developing. This rash of fine red spots then moves to the limbs – legs and arms. The rash moves to the face last, after the chest area and limbs are affected.
Pallor around the mouth – very white, perhaps grey-blue colour. This may be evident at the beginning of the illness, but the pallor becomes more distinct when the rash on the body appears.
Peeling Of Skin Shows That The Infection Is Over: These symptoms of Scarlet Fever all start to abate after a few days. The fever goes down, the rash turns from red to a brown colour, and it starts to fade. The skin affected by rash begins to peel off, like sunburn, and at this stage the child is nolonger infectious.
Incubation Time: The common type of Scarlet Fever was thought to have had an incubation period of from 2 to 5 days after contact with an infected person. The new strain of Hong Kong Scarlet Fever may vary a little in its incubation time.
Isolation Period Recommended: In the old family medical books, an isolation period of from 12 to 14 days was recommended, taken from the time the rash first appeared on the body.
Treatment: It is good to do everything possible to get your child better quickly. It is important to bring the fever down with plenty of fluids, as there is a possibility that the heart could be affected from the Scarlet Fever toxins if the child is delicate. A speedy recovery is important. This is where your Vitamin C, Halibut oil capsules, and Belladonna, or some other Homeopathic Remedy, will help to speed up recovery. Blue lighting while the patient is in fever, will help to bring the fever down, along with those lemon and ginger drinks.
Plenty of Hot Lemon and Ginger Drinks are helpful, perhaps with honey if you have it. Fluids will help to dilute the toxins and prevent the kidneys and heart from suffering. Nephritis may develop in the kidneys if not enough liquids are taken. A light but nourishing diet while recovering from Scarlet Fever will help the kidneys to recover.
Plenty of Bed Rest is recommended. Convalescence should not be hurried, as the patient will need time to recover strength again. The patient should be kept warm.
