What are the symptoms of scarlet fever?
• Sore throat and fever (high temperature) are the typical first symptoms. • A bright red (scarlet) rash then soon develops. The rash starts as small red spots, usually on the neck and upper chest. It may feel like fine sandpaper when you touch it. It soon spreads to many other parts of the body. The face may become quite flushed. The rash blanches (goes white) if you press on it. The areas of skin around the eyes, lips and nose are usually spared from this rash. • The tongue may become pale but coated with red spots (strawberry tongue). After a few days the whole tongue may look red. • Other common symptoms include: headaches, vomiting, being off food and feeling generally unwell. The sore throat and fever last a few days, and then usually ease. The rash lasts about six days, and then usually fades away. As the rash fades, some of the skin may peel, mainly on the hands and feet (a bit like after being sunburnt). The rash can recur over the following three weeks though. However, not al
