Outbreak of scarlet fever in Norway – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

In the Molde area alone, there may be up to 60 children who are ill.

– Both kindergarten children and children in primary school are sick, says Marit Teigen Hauge.

She is an assistant municipal doctor in Molde, where there is a large outbreak of scarlet fever.

50-60 children may have been infected in the last two weeks. Since the diagnosis is not reportable, the municipality does not have exact figures.

It was Romsdals Budstikke who first wrote about this outbreak.

Hauge says that the outbreak is quite special. She believes the reason is that three cohorts of corona children have not been exposed to the bacteria that causes scarlet fever until now.

The municipality has sent letters to both nurseries and schools stating that they must be aware of the symptoms, so that the children can start antibiotic treatment.

– Parents of young children are usually told to look out when their children are ill, but now we ask those with symptoms to see a doctor. As a result, the emergency room has been emptied of sick children, says Hauge.

Several infected children have also been discovered in the Oslo area.

Doctor Yngvild E. Bentdal, works at FHI’s department for infection control and vaccination. She encourages parents to have a low threshold for going to the doctor.

– Parents should behave as before and see a GP or emergency room if the child has symptoms of strep throat or scarlet fever to assess whether antibiotic treatment is needed.

Sore throat and rash

Scarlet fever begins with a sore throat and fever.

Many people experience nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. While others have the most pain in their ears.

Within a day and a half to two days, the child develops a rash on the face and over large parts of the body.

Another characteristic is a fiery red tongue, and dandruff in the palms of the hands and on the soles of the feet one to two weeks after the onset of the disease.

Most children who receive penicillin treatment recover quickly.

In the past, scarlet fever was a feared disease that led to many deaths among children.

Before penicillin was given, serious complications such as kidney inflammation were common. Several children who survived lost their sight or hearing.

But even today, untreated scarlet fever can be dangerous. And from time to time there are such outbreaks of illness among children in Norway.

Large outbreak in Great Britain

In Great Britain this autumn, there have been far greater outbreaks of scarlet fever than in Norway.

So far, around 6,600 cases of illness have been reported this season, which are far more than corresponding seasons in the last five years, according to British health authorities.

In London too, parents are asked to be alert to symptoms. Since September, there have been 145 cases of serious illness among children under the age of 9, the BBC reports.

Since September, 15 children under the age of 15 in Great Britain have died from infections with streptococcus A, 13 of them in England, writes the Evening Standard.

– FHI follows what is happening in England. The reason for the increase in England may be related to the fact that there are several viral infections circulating at the same time now, says Bentdal.

FHI also links the rise of the disease to low immunity following the infection control measures during the pandemic. When it comes to the situation in Norway, Bentdal believes there is no great cause for concern, because the doctors are good at treating this.

– We have seen slightly more strep throats with Streptococcus A in the past year, but we have not seen more serious cases of illness caused by Streptococcus group A among children compared to before the pandemic. This is something that can change and FHI is keeping a close eye on this.