Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-02-22
THE COUNTY NURSE DEPT.
Scarlet Fever


Anyone who knowingly exposes a
child to scarlet fever by violating
quarantine or refusing TO report a
case so as to avoid the Inconvenience of
quarantine is as much responsible if
the child dies as if a revolver were
used as a weapon.-Wis. State Board
of Health.
Scarlet fever, scarletina, and scarlet
rash are all names for the same dis
ease. Scarlet fever is communicable
disease, and many children die from
it. Sometimes there is q permanent
impairment of health due to con1pli-
cations.
The disease usually attacks chill
dren under ten years of age but may
occur at any time of life.
The flrst symptoms of scarlet fever
are: High fever, vomiting, sore
throat, followed bya scarlet red rash
which appears on the neck first, and
then rapidly spreads over the rest of
the body. The disease usually ap-
pears from two to six days after ex-
posure to the disease. The rash is
usually seen from twelve to thirty-six
hours after the first symptoms and
lasts from four to six days. Then the
rash is fading, peeling or desquama-
ton takes place, and lasts from two
to six weeks.
The disease may be communicated
from one individual to another from
the time the first symptoms appear to
the period of complete "peeling" or
desquamation and even longer, if in
fective discharges from the nose and
ears continue.
Scarlet fever is caused by contagion
arising from previous case. The in
lection may be direct, or carried upon
the person or in clothing exposed to
the disease.
Scarlet fever patients were formerly
quarantined for a period of twenty
one days. This has now been extend
ed to twenty-eight days. This is the
minimum quarantine. A severe case
may need to be quarantined for a
longer period. Quarantine is not re-
leased until the discharges from the
nose and throat and ear are normal,
and complete desquamation has taken
place. Concurrent disinfection is ad-
vised and the patient and premises
must be disinfected before released.
Concurrent disinfection is the ap
plication of disinfection Immediately
to the discharges from the body of an
infected person and to soiled articles.
Terminal disinfection by physical
means is defined as washing ali sur
faces and articles which may be in
fected with soap and water, or I've and
water, applied thoroughly with a scrub
brush or wash cloth. The room &C.
cupied by the patient must be thor
oughly aired and flooded with sun
light, after disinfection.
Children who have scarlet fever are
excluded from school for forty-two
days, (siX weeks) and until the mu-
cous membranes of the nose and
throat are normal. Other children
IN the same home are also excluded
unless there is a change of residence
IN which case exclude for ten DAYS.
The child may then be readmitted to
school if there have been no symptoms
of the disease and if the child has not
returned to the infected home.
Scarlet fever is dangerous, both
during the attack and because of the
after effects.
Slight attacks are as serious as Sc
we're ones.
Mild cases are often not recognized
and are responsible for starting Sc
we're epidemics.
When scarlet fever is occurring in
school, all children with sore throat,
or other symptoms of the disease
should be sent home, and told to re-
main in the home until recovered.
As soon as scaling or 'peeling" be-
gins, the body of the patient should
be anointed with oil or an ointment
daily. This will prevent the easy re-
moval of scales which become SETTER
L
of the sources of future infection. The
ointment should be removed by al
daily bath and reapplied before the
scales become thoroughly dried.
Copies of the bulletin Scarlet Fe-
yer" its restriction and prevention,
may be had by writing to the Office of
the County Nurse, Viroqua or City
Nurse, Miss Laura Chase, Viroqua,
or to the State Board of Health, Mad
ison Wisconsin.
PALMA H. GRAIN. Co. Nurse.