A blood test may confirm a recent streptococcal infection. Quite often treatment will be started while the result is awaited. In the second half of the nineteenth century, scarlet fever was the most common cause of death in children over the age of one. It was feared so much at that time that it was sometimes referred to simply as 'the fever'. For reasons that are not fully understood, the death rate from scarlet fever began to decline before 1900 and deaths following the illness have been almost unheard of since the 1960s.
Scarlet fever is now usually such a mild illness that it is often referred to as 'scarlatina'.
It is very unusual for scarlet fever to cause complications. Rare late complications can occur following any tonsillitis caused by the streptococcal bacterium. Scarlet fever is usually treated with a course of antibiotics such as penicillin or, if the individual is allergic to penicillin, another antibiotic such as one called erythromycin. The doctor will also usually suggest measures to soothe the symptoms and reduce the fever such as regular doses of paracetamol and plenty of liquid. It is important to follow these instructions and to complete the course of antibiotics.