straight down to business finding out what is wrong…
Christopher is 3 years old and for the last 2 days he has had a sore throat and a fever and has not been his normal boisterous self. His mum has brought him to see you because he has developed a fine rash on his chest and
abdomen which has made his skin feel very rough and dry, like sandpaper. You manage to get a quick look in Christopher’s throat and see enlarged, slightly purulent tonsils and a bright red “strawberry tongue”. You smile reassuringly at his mother and start to tap away on your computer… you know exactly what this is… you’ve seen the same problem 3 times already this week…
So what is the diagnosis?
Christopher has the classic signs of scarlet fever; a common childhood infection caused by the Group A Beta-haemolytic Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes). Approximately 4,000 cases of scarlet fever are diagnosed each year in the
UK, with 80% occurring in children under 10 years old.