Scarlet fever
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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Scarlet fever has a scary name, and it can be a bad disease - but it doesn't have to be. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pediatrician Katherine Fleming-Dutra says the infectious bacterium that causes scarlet fever is the same as the one that causes strep throat, and can be treated with antibiotics.
Fleming-Dutra says scarlet fever's telltale symptom is a rash that typically starts at the neck and spreads to the chest, arms and legs. Scarlet fever affects children, although it can affect anyone. Treated early, scarlet fever can be mild. But she says you need to see a doctor:
``If left untreated, it can result in serious complications, like kidney disease, throat abscesses, and even rheumatic fever, which affects the heart.'' (8 seconds)
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.