My friends 8yr old daughter has just been diagnosed with scarletina. The doc was abit vague apparantly so she is scouring the net for info. Does anyone know much about this? Have you or your kids had it? Also, my friend works at an infant school - is it contagious and should be staying off? Please help! Thanks.

I had Scarletina AKA Scarlet Fever as a youngest in the late 1950's & it was quite common then with kids of school age. It's not as serious now as back then thank goodness

Edited to add it is still a notifiable disease so she should ring the school & they should advise her whether it is ok for her to go into work Have a look here as well

The good thing about it was when there was an outbreak at college 10 years later I was the only one not quarentined during the Easter Break  ;)

Thanks Moonmaiden - I have sent the links to my friend (who is now complaining of a sore throat herself!!) maybe its just in sympathy with her daughter! Bless..

I had Scarletina, too, when I was a kid. Can't remember much about it though, except not being allowed to go out to play as I was getting better ;)

Are all the old illnesses making a comeback? Mumps seemed to be doing the rounds a while ago, too.

I remember my history teacher getting it years ago and he didn't come back to the school for a long time, it was over a year!  Maybe he had other complications who knows.  It was such a shame as he was my favourite teacher and used to put comical remarks in my book.  Never did like the woman that took over from him :d

Years ago they told me my middle son had scarletina, told me to keep him away from all people and bring him straight to hospital, i hadnt transport so said i would have to come by bus, so they sent an ambulance for him, it then turned out he was allergic to penicillin and it was not scarletina.

I've had Scarlet Fever! I was only 3, so it's a lo-o-o-o-o-o-ng time ago. I was already in hospital & there was an outbreak of chickenpox on the ward. Nearly all the kids got it except me - I got SF instead. Only thing I remember was being put in a room by myself & being sick on the floor & thinking the nurse would shout at me ( she didn't!) The worst thing was, I lost my Bendy Bunny, my Mum had bought it into the hospital & he had to be incinerated (I still miss him .......... )
Think it was a lot more common in the 1950's, kids used to say if you played round the grids in the road you would catch it :D
Hope your friend's daughter recovers quickly.

If we saw an ambulance way, way back in the '50s we would chant

"Touch yer collar,
Never swalla,
Never get the scarlet fever
Never go in one of those"

I remember a couple of friends having scarlet fever and being hauled off to hospital - they seemed to be away for absolute ages!

Hope your friend's daughter (and your friend herself) are soon better.

Margot