Scarlet fever increases hundredfold in 6 years

Incidents of scarlet fever are on a sharp rise here, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

According to the KCDC, 11,911 suspected cases were reported in 2016. The figure is an increase of more than 112-fold from 2010, when 106 cases were reported.

(Courtesy of H Plus Yangji Hospital)

So far this year, at least 9,179 cases, about 80 percent of last year’s figure, have been reported to the KCDC.

Symptoms of the illness, caused by group A streptococcal infection, includes fever, sore throat, a flushed face and swelling of the tongue.

Scarlet fever usually occurs in children, and spreads through coughing and sneezing, and physical contact with contaminated surfaces or infected persons. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 96 percent of patients reported last year were children under the age of 10.

It is easily treated by antibiotics, but late diagnosis and inadequate treatment can lead to more serious conditions including pneumonia and lymphadenitis, experts warn.

“People diagnosed with the fever and who are on an antibiotics treatment should stay away from others for at least 24 hours to avoid passing on the infection,” Lee Ji-yong, head of the infectious diseases division at a local H Plus Yangji Hospital. Lee added that the spread of the disease can be prevented by maintaining personal hygiene such as washing hands, and covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)

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