Scarlet fever - a dangerous acute infectious disease

- Scarlet fever is an acute infectious disease that is difficult to diagnose. If not treated promptly, it can lead to complications of pneumonia, septic shock... life-threatening.

BSCKI. Pham Cong Duc, Head of Tropical Diseases Department, Bai Chay Hospital (Quang Ninh) said: Scarlet fever is a disease caused by larvae that bite humans. The mites themselves do not cause disease, but the mites carry bacteria of the Rickettsia family, so it is called Rickettsia disease. The larvae are usually found in the banks of trees and bushes. Another name for the disease is Japanese riverside fever or bush fever, forest typhus fever.

Patients are usually concentrated in Asian countries. For Vietnam, this disease usually occurs at the time when the weather enters the rainy and hot season. Scarlet fever usually occurs in the North from May to October and occurs all year round in the South, but the peak is still in the rainy season.

Scarlet fever will create small outbreaks, scattered in areas with a lot of bushes and wet such as forest edges, newly reclaimed or newly planted forests, upland fields... The disease can takes place at all ages, but will mainly focus on workers operating in fields such as forestry troops, marching or stationed in border areas, forestry and agriculture, tourists and tourists. history or people living in humid places. These mite larvae often have intermediate hosts that are rodents, especially rats, birds or cattle and poultry.

Dr. Duc added: The general manifestation of this disease is a state of continuous high fever, red congested skin, looking on the body in thin, moist skin, you can see typical sores caused by stings. in the armpits, groin, around the genitals ... At first like blisters, then enlarge, then black scabs, flakey black scales leave very typical ulcers around slightly rough, concave middle, covered fake layer wearing white.

Patients who have been infected with typhus will produce long-term cellular and humoral immunity to the pathogenic strain, but antibodies only help the body to become immune to other strains temporarily. Therefore, if a patient re-infected with febrile illness after a few months of recovering from an illness caused by a different strain of bacteria, the disease may be mild. People in epidemic areas can be infected 2 to 3 times, but in mild form or without symptoms. While people from other places often come with fever in severe form and have more complicated symptoms.

For patients with typhus, without timely intervention of professional medical care, the disease can develop into serious complications and lead to death.

According to the German doctor, this disease is relatively dangerous if not detected early, can cause blood clotting disorders, thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes, liver failure, pneumonia, septic shock, multiple organ failure, even death death from disease. Treatment of definite diagnosis of scabies disease, depending on the clinical stage, the doctor will have specific treatment methods. Patients receiving oral antibiotics according to a 7-10 day regimen can be stable. In addition, depending on clinical symptoms, treatment can be used to reduce fever and support the liver. If there is pneumonia, severe septic shock, the patient can be intervened with mechanical ventilation, dialysis.

Scarlet fever is a hard to recognize disease that starts from the bites of tick larvae, however, it is not transmitted from person to person. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent the disease, so the best way to prevent tick fever is to clear the living environment, regularly clean and kill insects for your residence, do not lie or dry clothes in humid places. wet to avoid gnawing larvae.

When entering the forest to visit or work, pay attention to avoid resting under dense vegetation, many weeds, and humus. Not on the ground, but on a high hammock. Wear modest clothes and high-heeled shoes. Apply insect repellent to bare skin. When you return home, you should change your clothes immediately and take a shower, don't wear them again and again.

It is important that if you come back from endemic areas and have a high fever and headache, you should immediately go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment to avoid unfortunate consequences.

* SOURCE: https://vtv.vn/suc-khoe/sot-mo-can-benh-truyen-nhiem-cap-tinh-nguy-hiem-2023050823073829.htm