Scarlet Fever Infection Spreading in Hungary

According to the National Public Health Center (NNK), the number of people infected has been increasing week by week since January.

In the first week of January, 33 new cases of scarlet fever were registered, 140 in February and almost 200 in March. In the first half of April, the number of infected people halved, but in the second half of the month the number of patients was again over 200, and last week 304 new cases were diagnosed, so that by the end of April scarlet fever had been diagnosed in 2,868 people.

NNK says such fluctuations are typical of scarlet fever, which causes major cases at regular intervals over several years. These cycles have generally occurred every five years in recent decades, and the restrictions imposed during the coronavirus epidemic have curbed the spread of similar respiratory diseases, so the increase in cases predicted for 2020/2021 will occur this season. According to a pediatrician, the disease should not be underestimated because it is not the bacteria that is weakened, and that early detection and treatment of the disease will prevent it from becoming terminal.

Scarlet fever used to be treated as a very serious disease because it relatively often caused serious complications, known as sequelae. According to the pharma site 'Házipatika', the pathogen produces a toxin (erythrogenic toxin) against which the susceptible organism does not yet have antibodies, which can lead to the characteristic rash and the disease itself. In addition, the pathogen (Streptococcus pyogenes) can cause a wide range of infectious diseases (sore throat, otitis media, pneumonia, wound infections, sepsis, purulent meningitis, conjunctivitis), so it is important that patients receive appropriate antibiotic treatment in a timely manner.