# 5652
From Hong Kong’s Centre For Health Protection (CHP) this morning, we’ve updated numbers as of mid-day Monday on their Scarlet Fever outbreak.
Over the 72 hours of the weekend, 71 new cases have been reported. The number of fatalities (2) remains unchanged from last week.
While accurate numbers have been impossible to come by, local reporting indicates that scarlet fever is spreading on the mainland of China as well.
The number being reported in the media today (9,000 cases) is the same as we heard early last week, suggesting that surveillance and reporting from the mainland is less than robust.
In a long and informative Associated Press report by Margie Mason, we learn some new details regarding the two antibiotic resistant strains circulating in this outbreak.
Mutated scarlet fever fuels Hong Kong outbreak
By MARGIE MASON , 06.27.11, 03:30 AM EDT
The gist being that two mutated strains of group A Streptococcus that are causing this outbreak both show signs of increased resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin, long considered the standard treatment for the illness.
Fortunately, they remain susceptible to penicillin and some newer drugs of last resort.
Once a common scourge of children, scarlet fever has been largely controlled by the use of modern antibiotics. What happens should this new strain develop penicillin resistance as well is a major concern of scientists.
According to Kwok-yung Yuen - head of Hong Kong University's microbiology department - the more dominant of the two strains has undergone a genetic mutation that appears to make it more contagious as well.
(Source CDC Scarlet Fever Webpage)
For some background on Scarlet Fever this morning, we’ve a 5 minute CDC Podcast on the illness from last February.
Scarlet Fever
Katherine Fleming-Dutra, pediatrician, discusses scarlet fever, its cause, how to treat it, and how to prevent its spread. Created: 6/9/2011 by National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). Date Released: 6/9/2011. Series Name: CDC Featured Podcasts.
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Running time = 5:09
To save the Podcast, right click the "Save this file" link below and select the "Save Target As..." option.
Save This File (5MB) [right click]
For now, even with the availability of antibiotics, prevention of the disease is the best course of action. To that end, the CDC recommends:
Preventing Infection: Wash Those Hands
The best way to keep from getting infected is to wash your hands often and avoid sharing eating utensils, linens, towels or other personal items. It is especially important for anyone with a sore throat to wash his or her hands often. There is no vaccine to prevent strep throat or scarlet fever.
