A case of scarlet fever at St Julians school

The Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department said it was informed about a case of scarlet fever at the Sacred Heart Primary School in St Julians, reassuring parents there was no cause for alarm.

Department head Charmaine Gauci said the department had at first heard rumours that the infectious disease had affected a number of children attending the school. The school authorities had not been informed either although they received several calls from concerned parents.

Dr Gauci said the department investigated the matter and found that a student attending the primary school was in fact suffering from scarlet fever.

Sporadic cases of scarlet fever are normal but the disease became an issue towards the end of January when two children in the same classroom at a Gozo school contracted the illness. Some time later, the department reported another small outbreak in another school in Gozo, followed by a second case in the same school a week later.

Another outbreak occurred just before Easter when five children in the same classroom, again in Gozo, contracted the infection.

Meanwhile, last week the department was informed about two separate cases of scarlet fever at a school in Birżebbuġa. Action was taken immediately and the children are recovering.

Dr Gauci said the department does not usually go public if there is just one isolated case. However, this time, in view of the persistent rumours, it wanted to reassure parents that there was no cause for alarm.

"We have confirmed that one student attending the (Sacred Heart) primary school contracted scarlet fever earlier this week. The student is not going to school and the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department has taken all measures to ensure that the infectious disease does not spread," she said.

Scarlet fever is caused by an infection from streptococcus bacteria, normally occurring after a throat or skin infection. Although it used to be a very serious disease, most cases today are relatively mild. The characteristic symptom is a fine pinkish-red rash that feels like sandpaper. It may start in one place but soon spreads to many parts of the body.

Children are more predisposed to falling ill with scarlet fever especially since the bacteria is predominantly spread through saliva and youngsters have a tendency to put things in their mouth. If an infected child puts his hand into his mouth and then touches a toy there is a good chance that the bacteria has been transferred onto that toy, which could then be picked up by another child.

Apart from stressing the importance of cleaning surfaces with warm soapy water, the department has also made sure that any sick children remain at home in order to stop the illness from spreading.

Dr Gauci said that if parents suspect that their children might have contracted the infectious disease they are to visit their doctor as soon as possible. It is also important that if the doctor prescribes an antibiotic, the child should continue taking the medicine until the end of the course and not stop the antibiotics when s/he feels better because the bacteria would not have been eradicated completely.

The department has been in touch with the school authorities and emphasised the importance of regular cleaning of all surfaces in the classroom attended by the child who contracted the illness.