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Scarlet Fever
Scarlet Fever - Treatment
Treatment for Scarlet Fever
Most symptoms of scarlet fever are treated like strep throat. Penicillin is the most commonly used drug for the treatment. Within 24 hours of taking the drug, the infection is cured. The treatment course is of one week and after one week, throat cultures should be tested to check if the infection has been completely cured. For people and children who are allergic to penicillin, drugs like erythromycin or clindamycin can be used.
Much before penicillin was used, a vaccine was created by Galdys Henry Dick and George Frederick Dick. This vaccine worked very efficiently for scarlet fever. But this vaccine fell out of favor once penicillin was invented.
As recently as in 2011, there have been reported cases of drug resistant scarlet fever cases. Continuous research is being done to find new treatments for this form of scarlet fever. There have been reported new cases of scarlet fever in the United States. Schools and close student gatherings are very common for the spread of such infections.
References
- J.J. Guo, C.M. Kuo, Y.C. Chuang, J.W. Hong, R.L. Chou, T.I. Chen, The effects of garlic-supplemented diets on antibacterial activity against Streptococcus iniae and on growth in orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides, Aquaculture, Volumes 364–365, 5 October 2012, Pages 33-38, ISSN 0044-8486, 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2012.07.023.