References
A guide to scarlet fever
Abstract
Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection that mainly affects children. It is a notifiable disease. This article provides a brief overview of the symptoms, complications and risk factors, and diagnosis and management of scarlet fever.
Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is an infectious illness caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) (Alotaibi et al, 2022). This is a notifiable disease and there were 12 176 cases of scarlet fever in England between 1 January and 24 March 2024 (UK Health Security Agency, 2024).
Scarlet fever is spread by aerosol transmission or direct contact. All age groups can be affected by scarlet fever but, generally, this illness occurs between the ages of 2 and 8 years (UK Health Security Agency, 2019).
The symptoms of scarlet fever include (NHS, 2025):
Timely treatment is required to reduce the risk of potential complications and spread of infection (NICE, 2024). If left untreated, scarlet fever can cause more serious complications known as invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infection.
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