Scarlet fever in two schools
'No cause for alarm'
Two cases of scarlet fever were reported to the authorities in two primary schools over the past weeks.
The Department of Public Health said the two cases were unrelated and there was no cause for alarm. It did not give any other information, only adding that its officials had visited the schools to speak to parents and put their minds at rest.
The Times was told that one of the cases involved a boy at the Gżira primary school kindegarten. Sources said the child has been absent from school for the past three days. The mother took the child to the health centre and was referred to Mater Dei Hospital.
When parents heard about the case, they picked up their children from school earlier than usual yesterday.
The number of cases of scarlet fever shot up last year as international health experts warned the virus that killed thousands in the past could be making a comeback.
Official figures showed that 49 cases of scarlet fever were reported in 2008, more than five times the number reported in the previous 10 years.
The Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention said the rise in cases could be explained by the fact that the ailment could spread easily, especially among children, through close contact and saliva. In fact, the majority of patients were children.
Scarlet fever usually occurs after a throat or skin infection and symptoms include a rash that shows up as tiny red bumps, a sore throat, fever and swollen glands.
Parents are encouraged to look out for symptoms because early treatment could prevent complications and early isolation could stem its spread.