Scarlet Fever

6.12.22

Dear Parent/Carer,

As you know, at this time of year we have no end of different bugs circulating in school. At the moment we have coughs, colds, sore throats, sickness and diarrhoea. Though Scarlet fever is quite rare, you may have seen on the media information about increasing cases. We have been informed that one child who attends our nursery has been diagnosed with this fever.

Scarlet fever mostly affects young children.

We have contacted the Health Protection Hub for advice –

Parents should remain vigilant for symptoms. Symptoms vary but in severe cases there may be high fever, difficulty swallowing and tender enlarged lymph nodes. The rash develops on the first day of fever, it is red, usually in one area to start with, pinhead in size and gives the skin a sandpaper-like texture and the tongue has a strawberry-like appearance.

Scarlet fever is spread by close contact with someone carrying the bacteria. The incubation period is 2 to 5 days.

Please encourage your children to continue with good hand hygiene, washing them regularly with soap and water and the covering of the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

If your child appears unwell, they will be sent home.

If they have been diagnosed with scarlet fever, they will be allowed to return to their education or childcare setting 24 hours after they start appropriate antibiotic treatment and are well enough to do so.

If you are concerned about the symptoms above, please seek medical assistance promptly. If your child has an underlying condition which affects their immune system, you should contact your GP or hospital doctor to discuss whether any additional measures are needed.

Children who have had chickenpox or influenza recently are more likely to develop more serious infection during an outbreak of scarlet fever and so parents should remain vigilant for symptoms such as a persistent high fever, cellulitis (skin infection) and arthritis (joint pain and swelling). If you are concerned for any reason please seek medical assistance immediately.

Further information can be found at:

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

We will of course keep you posted and trust that with increased measures in school and at home that we manage to avoid an outbreak in our setting.

Regards,

Miss Cook

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Scarlet Fever Information (based on advice from the Health Protection Hub) December 2022

You may have heard the sobering news of a six-year old child dying after contracting a Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection in an outbreak in a school in Surrey.  The common childhood illness scarlet fever is caused by this bacteria and in the vast majority of cases is a mild illness, but can sometimes be more severe.

Signs and symptoms of scarlet fever

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.

If you suspect your child could have Scarlet Fever please

• Seek advice from their general practitioner.
• Keep your child off school and seek advice from the doctor as to how long your child should be off.
• Inform school of any diagnosis and absence.

What we are already doing:

• Encouraging children and staff to implement good hand hygiene
• Encouraging staff, children to implement good respiratory hygiene
• Children and staff are reminded that all scrapes or wounds, especially bites, should be thoroughly cleaned and covered.
• Maintaining good ventilation in the setting.
• Carrying out enhanced cleaning, to help reduce transmission.

If you suspect your child has Scarlet Fever, it is important that you let school know as soon as you can. This early notification would support us in taking any necessary precautions to avoid further  spread.

Regards,

Miss Cook

Christmas Jumper Day is now an annual event for the Save the Children charity. This event falls on the same day as our Christmas lunch (Thursday 8th December) and therefore we would like to invite your child/children to come into school wearing something ‘Christmassy’.

This year Save the Children are encouraging everyone to be greener by making their own Christmas jumper, by up-cycling an old jumper by using stickers, tinsel, glitter, baubles, ribbon etc. There is no pressure for you to contribute to this event, however if you would like to, please donate via ParentPay.