All articles tagged with #scarlet fever
Scientists analyzed a 700-year-old Bolivian mummy tooth and found DNA from Streptococcus pyogenes, the scarlet fever bacterium, suggesting scarlet fever circulated in the Americas before European contact and challenging the idea that it arrived with colonists. The ancient strain shares core virulence genes and is related to modern throat-infecting strains, offering new insights into the historical spread and evolution of the pathogen.
A woman in London contracted scarlet fever, a disease once common in Victorian times, after attending a crowded, hot pub, highlighting the resurgence of this contagious illness and raising awareness of its symptoms.
A mother in Wales was forced to crush up antibiotics pills for her 10-month-old daughter after a shortage of medication for children. The baby was diagnosed with scarlet fever caused by strep A in December last year, but none of the antibiotics commonly used for children were available after a huge rise in demand during the strep A surge before Christmas. Public Health Wales said usage has now returned to more expected levels.