The information was confirmed by the mayor of Baie-Mahault on Thursday March 23, 2023 in a press release. Three cases of scarlet fever were reported earlier this week in the public primary schools of Calvaire and La Jaille de la city.
Social networks took hold of the information very quickly. Three children were reported as affected by scarlet fever in two primary schools in Baie-Mahault earlier this week.
According to the municipality, a coordination mechanism between the municipal services, the Regional Health Agency and the Rectorate of Guadeloupe was immediately put in place.
A letter from the Rectorate’s medical adviser has been sent to the parents of students in the establishments concerned to indicate the procedure to follow in the event of the appearance of symptoms (high fever, rash, sore throat, etc.): consultation of the attending physician and maintenance of the child at home.
Finally, the statement said, health protocols are in place in these schools, in terms of cleaning and disinfection, to protect the entire school community.
The announcement does not cause panic in the medical world… It is a rare fact but it does exist.
This disease, very little known to the general public and regarding which little has been said for decades thanks to antibiotics, is only transmitted by contact and mainly affects children… high fever, skin rash and sore throat.
Doctor José Périanin, pediatrician, is not worried regarding this situation. Well cared for, children are better in 48 hours.
According to the Ameli website, scarlet fever is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium: group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus. It is manifested by high fever, sore throat and rash. It mainly affects children between the ages of 5 and 10.
Younger children are often immune to scarlet fever. They are protected by their mother’s antibodies transmitted during pregnancy, via the placenta. Thus, scarlet fever is rare in children under 2 years of age.
Person-to-person transmission occurs :
- by air (coughing, sneezing, sputtering while speaking) ;
- by carrying his hands soiled by the secretions of a sick person, in his mouth or nose ;
- during kisses ;
- or, more rarely, indirectly, by touching objects recently soiled by secretions.
The period of from scarlet fever is 1 to 4 days, sometimes longer. Then the symptoms of the disease appear.
Angina with fever
Scarlet fever manifests itself suddenly by a fever elevated (greater than 38.5°C) with chills and angina, causing difficulty in swallowing (or dysphagia). The throat is red and inflamed, the tonsils are swollen and the glands in the neck are swollen.
Sometimes other symptoms appear :
- headache ;
- nausea and/or vomiting ;
- stomach ache.
A rash on the skin
One to two days following the onset of angina, a rash appears. The skin shows diffuse red discoloration in the form of extensive uniform bright red patches with no healthy skin gaps. It is dotted with more intense red dots, which make it rough or grainy to the touch.
This rash begins in the armpits, elbow and groin folds (areas called “flexure folds”) and can then affect other parts of the body :
- skin you thorax ;
- lower abdomen (redness called “underpants”) ;
- face (except around the mouth) ;
- extremities (except the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet).
Scarlet fever: a characteristic appearance of the tongue
During the scarlet fever, the tongue takes on a characteristic appearance :
- first it is covered with a thick white coating (saburral tongue) ;
- then it loses its white coating from the periphery towards the center ;
- and becomes raw, taking a raspberry red color following a few days.
