Kingsley Community School,

                     Eversley Street,

                                Liverpool.

L8 2TG.

Telephone:  0151 709 6727

Fax:  0151 708 5105

Website: www.kingsley.liverpool.sch.uk

 

Head Teacher: Mrs A Whittaker                                7.12.22

                                                                                               

Scarlet fever and Strep (iGAS) Update

 

I am writing to you to pass on some information we have received about illnesses which appear to be causing concern at the moment.

Regionally and nationally, we continue to see high rates of scarlet fever, higher than would be expected

for this time of year. The same pattern has been noted for cases of invasive group A streptococcus

(iGAS), particularly in children under 10 years. iGAS is a far less common infection caused by the same

bacteria as scarlet fever but can lead to more serious illness.

 

School is taking additional measures to try to combat the spread of infectious disease, just as we did during Covid. We have resumed weekly fogging (a special machine that chemically disinfects rooms) once a week and are encouraging hand washing and sanitising again. We have also kept our additional mid day cleaning of frequently used surfaces.

 

Signs and symptoms of scarlet fever

Scarlet fever is a common childhood infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A

streptococcus (GAS). The early symptoms of scarlet fever include sore throat, headache, fever, nausea

and vomiting. After 12 to 48 hours the characteristic red, pinhead rash develops, typically first

appearing on the chest and stomach, then rapidly spreading to other parts of the body, and giving the

skin a sandpaper-like texture. The scarlet rash may be harder to spot on darker skin, although the

'sandpaper' feel should be present. Patients typically have flushed cheeks and pallor around the mouth.

This may be accompanied by a ‘strawberry tongue’. As the child improves peeling of the skin can occur.

Actions to take

• Children and adults with suspected scarlet fever should not attend nursery / school / work until

24 hours after starting appropriate antibiotic treatment.

• Whilst scarlet fever is circulating it is important that any children and adults with chickenpox do stay

off school or nursery until all their blisters have dried over, which is usually 5 days after they first

appeared.

• It is important to tell us if your child has chicken pox as thee are particular precautions we would take if both illnesses were present in school.

 

More information about scarlet fever can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scarlet-fever-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/

Guidance on exclusion for a range of infectious diseases can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcarefacilities

 

Rest assured, many children get seasonal coughs, colds and fevers, which are nothing to worry about your your child becomes ill, don’t panic, but always seek medical advice , particularly if a rash appears or your child does not begin to feel better after a 24-48 hour period.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

A Whittaker