Former Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan revealed all three of her children have scarlet fever.
There has recently been a spike in cases across the North West compared to 2021 when measures during the covid pandemic such as social distancing, enhanced hygiene and school and nursery closures kept cases below average.
A total of 914 notifications of scarlet fever were reported between September 2021 and March 2022 in the North West, the highest rate of any region in England.
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On Monday, Helen shared that her children have been struck down by scarlet fever. Posting a picture of her daughter Delilah sleeping, she said: “All the kids have scarlet fever. Glad to know what it is after Delilah not been herself and the medicine to treat it x.”
According to the NHS, scarlet fever is a contagious infection that mostly affects young children.
Scarlet fever can be a serious illness, but thanks to antibiotics, it's less common than it used to be and easier to treat.
The first signs of scarlet fever can be flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature, a sore throat and swollen neck glands. A rash appears 12 to 48 hours later. It looks like small, raised bumps and starts on the chest and tummy, then spreads.
The rash makes your skin feel rough, like sandpaper.
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