What follow-up care is necessary for patients recovering from scarlet fever to prevent complications?

Follow-up care for patients recovering from scarlet fever to prevent complications includes:

• Advise patients or their carers to seek medical follow-up if symptoms worsen or have not improved after 7 days of antibiotic treatment to consider alternative diagnoses or complications.
• Educate patients and carers about the possible complications of scarlet fever in the first few weeks after infection and instruct them to seek immediate medical advice if complications are suspected.
• Maintain a low threshold for prompt referral to secondary care for children with persistent or worsening symptoms.
• Encourage adequate hydration, symptom relief with paracetamol or ibuprofen if appropriate, and good skin care to prevent secondary infections.
• Advise on infection control measures to reduce cross-infection risk, including exclusion from school or work for at least 24 hours after starting antibiotics and good hand hygiene.
• Inform patients that household contacts have a low but increased risk of invasive Group A streptococcal infection and should seek medical advice if they develop symptoms.
• Routine testing of asymptomatic contacts is not recommended, but local health protection teams may advise on antibiotic prophylaxis in specific high-risk situations.

These measures help ensure early detection and management of complications, reducing morbidity associated with scarlet fever.

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