Duration of scarlet treatment | This is how long a scarlet fever usually lasts

Duration of scarlet treatment

The duration of the treatment usually corresponds to the antibiotic intake period, as late complications are very rare. However, if these are also included in the duration of treatment, the treatment can last up to several months. As a rule, however, the treatment is finished after the end of the antibiotic administration, i.e. after 10 days at the latest.

The antibiotic intake should last at least seven days, according to the recommendation of the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. In various pediatric textbooks, a therapy duration of 10 days is recommended. As a rule, the pediatrician will want to check the success of the antibiotic therapy after 7 days. Stopping the medication is then only indicated if there are no longer any symptoms of the disease, i.e. neither fever, nor flushing of the face, nor sore throat or sore throat.

When do complications occur?

The length of time until complications occur varies and depends on the complications that occur. In most cases, however, scarlet fever proceeds completely without complications. You can also find detailed information on this topic at These complications can occur with scarlet fever

  • Thus it takes about three weeks until the appearance of the so-called acute rheumatic fever.
  • Acute streptococcal glomerulonephritis occurs in the range of one to 5 weeks after the actual scarlet fever.
  • Poststreptococcal arthritis, on the other hand, usually begins earlier. This complication usually occurs 3 to 10 days after the underlying disease.
  • The beginning of the “chorea minor” is difficult to grasp. First symptoms such as increasing clumsiness appear after several weeks or months.

How long are you on sick leave?

As a rule, sick leave should be based on the time of taking antibiotics and may continue beyond that time.Since scarlet fever is a communicable infectious disease, sick people should not go among people unnecessarily, but should guard the house. Since with conclusion of the antibiotic therapy also the contagiousness should have disappeared, one may work thereafter theoretically again. However, if the person is not yet fully recovered, it is advisable to extend the sick leave a little longer to give the person time to recover completely.