my kids & I were exposed to scarlet fever... WWYD??

[kochh2]

so, the other little girl that our nanny watches was dx'd with scarlet fever after we left... i know it's so contagious.... DS is the same age (3-ish) and DD is just shy of 4 months old... i know what to watch for... just wait?? or call pedi and be an alarmist.. which is SO not my style, but I am scared of another serious sickness in our family,after time in the hospital a month ago with the baby... anyone else hear that babies usually dont get it?? i dont really believe it yet...

[s7714]

If you're concerned you should call your Ped. just to see what he/she says, but I don't think there's anything they can do before it shows up. Three kids (ages 1-5) in my friend's family all developed it last winter after their older sister (7) had a case of just plain strep throat. They all got put on antibiotics as soon as the fever/red rash started showing up and were fine within a few days.

Jennifer
Mommy to
Miss Pure Energy 3/03
Miss Limit Tester 6/05

Our bones may be brittle, but our spirit is unbreakable.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta www.oif.org

[phirey]

Although Scarlet Fever certainly sounds scary, it's essentially just Strep Throat taken to then next level. DD had it last December at 14 months. She was diagnosed with strep and two days later -- after starting antibiotics -- developed the rash and strawberry tongue. The only reason Scarlet Fever scares us is books that predate the use of antibiotics, such as Little Women and Velveteen Rabbit, made it and its sequelae seem so terrible.

So just watch for signs of strep throat -- fever, headache, vomiting and of course sore throat.

[momathome]

I agree with the other posters, as scary as it sounds, it is really not a huge deal. Kasey had strep throat and scarlett fever over Easter and was perfectly fine after being on antibiotics for a few days. Hope your kiddos escape the bug!

[mamicka]

I'm not sure that I'd do anything different than if we were exposed to strep. My son has never had classic strep - it automatically manifests itself as the Scarlett fever lacy rash. As long as you're watching for it, I don't see it as being particularly risky. But maybe there's something I don't know...

Allison
Surprise #3 due 7/07
BABY! COME OUT NOW!