Scarlet Fever

[highlander]

I just learnt tonight that my grandson has scarlet fever, dont fret he lives in Edingburgh, but my question is, im 95.5% sure my mum told me that my dad had this when he was a bairn and was kept in a fever hospital for months, did i pick her up wrong or did they do that years ago for scarlet fever, gawd dont you just wish you wrote things down when you were told things.

[balto]

I just learnt tonight that my grandson has scarlet fever, dont fret he lives in Edingburgh, but my question is, im 100% sure my mum told me that my dad had this when he was a bairn and was kept in a fever hospital for months, did i pick her up wrong or did they do that years ago for scarlet fever, gawd dont you just wish you wrote things down when you were told things.
hiya is that the same as slap face, where you look liked well ere youve been slaped or am i getting confused.

[Kodiak]

I remember my Sister had Scarlet Fever, about 1955 or 1956. She had a Long spell in Hospital, just how long I can not remember but it seemed like all of the summer. I can only go by my memory as there is no one else to ask other than my Sister who now lives in Florida.

[Allsorts]

HI, my daughter has had it twice now the second time a lot worse than the first. Its a streph A throat infection. They usually get a red face and if its really bad they can get a red tongue. He will have been given antibiotics and they say that once they are on antibiotics they are not contagious anymore. so try not to worry its nothing like it use to be but I def here more people are getting it these days.

My daughter had a temp etc with it but was soon feeling better. Did take a while for the rash to go and I mean a while

[George Brims]

I read somewhere that scarlet fever is one of those diseases that has evolved to being much less serious. This happens a lot. When syphilis first came to Europe, it used to make people's faces rot off. Jewellers used to make silver and gold prosthetic noses! Of course that is a bit off-putting, making it much less likely anyone would want to partake in the act that spreads it, so milder forms of the disease were more likely to be transmitted. Now it's become almost a sleeper disease, one that people can have a long time, and so have much more chance of spreading it around.

[Angela]

I just learnt tonight that my grandson has scarlet fever, dont fret he lives in Edingburgh, but my question is, im 100% sure my mum told me that my dad had this when he was a bairn and was kept in a fever hospital for months, did i pick her up wrong or did they do that years ago for scarlet fever, gawd dont you just wish you wrote things down when you were told things.

Yes they did, highlander, you'd be shipped off to a fever hospital and kept in isolation. A friend of mine told me this happened to her in the 1950s when she was only 6 and all her toys -including her teddy bear -had to be burnt. :mad:

It was a much more serious illness in those days, and going back to the 19th century I've discovered that some people in my family died from it!

Please don't worry, though. It's nothing like that now. I hope your grandson will be feeling much better very soon. :)

[brandy]

scarlet fever is nothing like what it use to be.. it is just a form of strep throat.. which i have suffered with my whole life(until i came here!)
its nasty, really sore and you feel rotten with the fever and sore throat and rash.. the swelling of your throat and glands is horrible.. but its not usally deadly now.. just remember.. it was only during the war that asprin came out .. and it was the germans who came up with it.. and no one was touching that! (another reason we lost SO many soldiers to spanish flu!) but with the meds that we have today its not a big thing.
i do know that every year i would come down with strep.. and to the dr. i went. came back with antibiotics and was fed tylonol (paracetemol) and in about a week i would be better.
the scarlet rash is just a step up from normal strep... nasty but very managble.. if contagious!

[golach]

I just learnt tonight that my grandson has scarlet fever, dont fret he lives in Edingburgh, but my question is, im 95.5% sure my mum told me that my dad had this when he was a bairn and was kept in a fever hospital for months, did i pick her up wrong or did they do that years ago for scarlet fever, gawd dont you just wish you wrote things down when you were told things.
Your mum was right Highlander, I caught Scarlet Fever aged about 8, and ended up in a Fever Hospital in Perthshire, miles from anywhere and it was hell, my parents, when they came to visit, had to stay outside, and we could only communicate through a closed window, I was there for 6 whole weeks.

[JAWS]

Highlander, take a look at http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23069078/ It should set your mind at rest little.
Things really have changed a lot in the last 50 years when you were hauled off and sentenced to a long period of solitary in an isolation ward.
Seems they treat it at home now using either penicillin or antibiotics along with a little TLC.

[Aaldtimer]

George Brims..." When syphilis first came to Europe, it used to make people's faces rot off. Jewellers used to make silver and gold prosthetic noses! Of course that is a bit off-putting, making it much less likely anyone would want to partake in the act that spreads it, so milder forms of the disease were more likely to be transmitted. Now it's become almost a sleeper disease, one that people can have a long time, and so have much more chance of spreading it around."

What a load of alarmist nonsense![disgust]

[Murdina Bug]

I have heard of 5th disease (aka slapped face) which may be getting confused with scarlet fever by some. The NHS website is quite good with the facts and may be of some interest:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Slapped-cheek-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx?url=Pages/what-is-it.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Scarlet-fever/Pages/Introduction.aspx?url=Pages/what-is-it.aspx

[dozy]

I just learnt tonight that my grandson has scarlet fever, dont fret he lives in Edingburgh, but my question is, im 95.5% sure my mum told me that my dad had this when he was a bairn and was kept in a fever hospital for months, did i pick her up wrong or did they do that years ago for scarlet fever, gawd dont you just wish you wrote things down when you were told things.
My husband had scarlet fever when he was in his twenties. The doctor at the time told him there was different degrees of scarlet fever from just a sore throat to the one he took which was in the blood. It took him to deaths door with a tempreture of 104 for over two weeks. The doctor said it would be better he stayed at home as moving him could cause other people ie ambulance staff ect being exposed. The doctor came in every 4 hours to give him injections and everything he came into contact with had to be made sterile. His bedding, clothes, towels ect had to be all washed seperate from everyone elses. His was a rare and extreme case and nowadays with less cases of scarlet fever and better medicine the side affects are greatly reduced.

[George Brims]

George Brims..." When syphilis first came to Europe, it used to make people's faces rot off. Jewellers used to make silver and gold prosthetic noses! Of course that is a bit off-putting, making it much less likely anyone would want to partake in the act that spreads it, so milder forms of the disease were more likely to be transmitted. Now it's become almost a sleeper disease, one that people can have a long time, and so have much more chance of spreading it around."

What a load of alarmist nonsense![disgust]

No it isn't it's historical fact. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis

The point is that syphiliis not like that nowadays, having evolved into a disease that's hard to diagnose (especially before modern biochemical technologies). Some real pessimists think AIDS has already evolved to that stage, since it displays very few symptoms on first infection, and the victim can pass it on to any number of other people before serious symptoms appear. Becoming initially milder has actually made it more dangerous.

[Aaldtimer]

The point is GB, that this is a thread about a child with Scarlet Fever![disgust]

[George Brims]

And my point was that Scarlet fever is no longer such a serious disease. Seems relevant to me, especially given Highlander's original question about fever hospitals in the old days.

[Aaldtimer]

So why bring syphylis into the discussion GB?

[ett23]

hiya is that the same as slap face, where you look liked well ere youve been slaped or am i getting confused.

No slap face is something different from scarlet fever - my eldest daughter had it when she was young and I was reassured it was just a virus and would clear up soon. Her cheeks were very red and she had a high temperature but it's definitely not the same thing. :D

[George Brims]

So why bring syphylis into the discussion GB?
Because it's the disease most often mentioned in regards to the process of evolution of a disease from virulent to sneaky. It's probably the most extreme example. Jared Diamond for example mentions it in a couple of his books.