In England, the number of new cases of scarlet fever has multiplied by 7 in 5 years. A change in the immunity of the population could be involved.
In England, the number of new cases of scarlet fever increased sevenfold between 2011 and 2016, the majority being in nurseries and schools. This is the conclusion of an English study published in the prestigious journal ” Lancet Infectious Desease “. Between 2013 and 2014, the number of cases tripled and has continued to increase since.
An upsurge in cases has also been spotted in several Asian countries (China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, South Korea).
No vaccination
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by a bacterium, streptococcus A. There is no vaccine against this infectious disease. It is relatively rare and more often affects children between 5 and 10 years old. It is usually transmitted through the air from an affected child. It manifests as a rash both on the skin and in the mouth and throat. The outcome is most often favorable with penicillin-based antibiotic treatment.
Complications like rheumatic fever, kidney or heart problems are exceptional. To avoid them, the treatment must absolutely be continued for 10 days. Treating quickly and for a long time (10 days) decreases the spread. There is no vaccination against scarlet fever.
Change of immunity
What is a little worrying is that infectious disease specialists can not find any explanation for this progression: the strains of bacteria have not changed, they have not become more virulent. There remains the human population to which the specialists who analyze this study in the journal turn “Lancet “: they are considering the possibility of changes in immunity in populations, environmental changes or, more worryingly, a still unknown co-infection favoring the onset of the disease.” Strengthened global surveillance of scarlet fever spread is warranted », They conclude.
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