Risk of infection for children

The risk of infection with scarlet fever is particularly high in children. One reason for this is that the child’s immune system is still in the process of maturing and is therefore not yet fully developed. If it comes into contact with pathogenic germs, these cannot yet be efficiently fought and an infection develops more quickly.

In addition, scarlet fever has an incubation period of 2 – 4 days. The sick children are already highly infectious, although they still feel well and do not yet show any specific symptoms.The risk of infection for children is particularly high in community facilities such as kindergartens, sports groups or schools, where they are in close physical contact with other children. Since the infection occurs via saliva droplets, there is a high risk of infection, especially in public facilities.

Playing and eating together greatly increases the risk of infection. Especially small children often put objects or toys in their mouths. In the context of a smear infection, the pathogens can then spread quickly through contact with contaminated objects and lead to an infection in the next child.

It should therefore be ensured that children suffering from scarlet fever should never visit public institutions such as schools or kindergartens as long as they are at risk of infection. If a disease is known to exist, care should also be taken to ensure adequate hygiene, especially hand washing, to reduce the risk of smear infections. Scarlet fever is mainly transmitted via saliva, for example when coughing and sneezing, but it can also be spread via shared objects, such as toys in daycare centers.

The risk of infection is particularly high in such shared facilities. A child suffering from scarlet fever can be contagious for up to about three weeks without treatment. However, with adequate treatment, i.e. with antibiotics, the child is no longer contagious just 24 hours after treatment begins.

Theoretically, the child can then go back to kindergarten. However, since the child often feels bad, it is advisable to wait until the symptoms have disappeared. The treating doctor should also make the final decision on how long the child should stay at home.

It is also important to report the child’s infection to the kindergarten. Schools also belong to the community facilities, where scarlet fever can easily spread due to the high risk of infection. Therefore, the same applies here as for kindergarten attendance: 24 hours after the start of treatment with antibiotics, the child is no longer infectious. Nevertheless, it is advisable to wait until the child is free of symptoms in order to protect it. Also with school children the physician should besides the final decision make, when the school attendance is again safe for the child and its schoolmates possible.