Scarlet Fever: An Infectious Disease

Is an infection that is life threatening and spreads to the lungs, abdomen, and urinary tract. This infection is linked to osteomyelitis, central nervous system, heart and other tissues. Symptoms include: chills, fever, rapid heartbeat, and progresses to shock, red spots on skin, and confusion.

Scarlet fever and diphtheria among many others were two of the most common diseases to effect children in the early part of the 1900s. Scarlet fever occurred mainly in those between the ages of 2 and 8, and was spread by droplets from carriers and affected individuals. Despite sore throat, headache, and fever, with red spots in the mouth and on the body, children would often continue to play with friends in the street and to mix with neighbours, thus allowing the disease to spread. Diphtheria was likewise highly contagious, generally affecting the throat but occasionally other mucous membranes and the skin.

In the novel The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, all of the characters possess specific traits of the seven deadly sins which are lust, gluttony, greed, pride, wrath, envy and sloth. My character Roger Chillingworth possesses the sins, greed, wrath and pride. I will attempt to make a connection between the sins committed by Chillingworth and his motivation behind those sins and sins committed by people in our world today. For example, one could compare wrath to the destructive and horrible feats of today’s murders that feel they have been treated unjustly, therefore, take the lives of those they feel have wronged them. Another comparison is the effects that pride can have on today’s role models such as professional athletes and the result of greed on some of today’s entertainers who need more and more stuff, such as cars, homes, jewels and the list goes on and on.

Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection that causes a red rash on the skin. It is caused by a toxin producing organism called Streptococcus pyogenes. This organism is rarely seen in well developed countries. The age group it affects is typically six to twelve year olds, however; all age groups can have the infection. The modern form of scarlet fever “...in children is now causing toxic shock-like syndrome (TSLS), an acute and

Scarlet fever is a bacteria infection. The symptoms are a red rash on the body, fever, and a sore throat. It is an interesting fact that the same bacteria that causes strep throat causes scarlet fever. And I’m sure we’ve all had strep throat at some time! But in the past, scarlet fever killed mostly young children, nearly 95%, because children don’t have a strong immune system that is able to fight back against such a strong disease. There is no vaccine for scarlet fever but there are antibiotics to treat it. Also, improved hygiene such as washing hands frequently, and also better health care has stopped the disease from spreading and killing as it once did. However, many poor developing countries still struggle with with deadly

Toxic Shock Syndrome, also known simply as TSS, is a life threatening illness caused by a bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus. TSS was first discovered in children in 1978 (Venkataraman, 2015). After the 1978 discovery, the disease itself was nationally recognized in 1980 when it was seen as a health threat amongst reproductive women. After this epidemic the number of reports of TSS decreased sharply (Hajjeh, 2010). Staphylococcus aureus can be identified as bacteria that, often times will go unnoticed as it usually does not cause any harm. Around 30% of the world?s population carries this bacterium in their noses.

224 years ago, in 1793, a yellow fever epidemic roared over Philadelphia. This was a devastating time for all Philadelphians. Although there were no cures, there were treatments. There were two types of doctors back in this time; the French doctors and the American. Mosquitos are the cause of this. They (the mosquitos) got infected by the refuges. The mosquitos spread the yellow fever to mankind. This epidemic killed a couple thousand people.

Due to the description of the disease, Scarlet fever seems to have been dated back almost 2,500 years even back to the time of Hippocrates. Supposedly there has been 3 major epidemics of Scarlet Fever. The first uncontested account of scarlet fever came in 1553 similar to measles, diphtheria and other rashes however some say it was seen as early as 430 B.C. Scarlet fever brought about a death rate then as high as one hundred and fifty out of one hundred thousand, which is a very morbid death rate.

The past few days have been especially hard for me and my town, Willoughby, Pennsylvania. Scarlet Fever has swep through the town, over twenty people are sick. It started with just one case, a little boy of the age of six. I was rushed over to the little child but there was nothing I could do for him, the only thing I could good was give him some whiskey to help with his pain.

In Frankentstein, a gothic novel written my Mary Shelley, scarlet fever was a huge part in the main plot line. Scarlet fever was a common disease during the time Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Scarlet fever was particularly common in children and was fatal and deadly. It was a disease that affected many children and hat many sympotms, causes and stages (Bunch 54). In the modern world we live in with modern medicine it's not as common, however, back then if you were to get this disease, you were deemed tainted and couldn't be touched due to the fact that it was extremely contagious and no one wanted to be exposed to the disease.

If a streptococcal infection such as pharyngitis or scarlet fever is left untreated, there is a small (~3%) chance that within approximately 20 days, the patient will present with rheumatic fever. After the first bout of rheumatic fever, if the host acquires a second untreated S. Pyogenes infection, the chance of coming down with rheumatic fever jumps substantially to ~50%. Most often this secondary disease will strike people aged 6-15 years old, roughly 20 days after the streptococcal infection, with a 2-5% mortality rate. One of the major diagnostic symptoms of this disease is Erythema Marginatum, snake- or ring-like eruptions covering the trunk, upper arms, and legs. Other symptoms include fever, arthritis (elbows, knees, wrists, and ankles), swollen joints, pain in the abdomen, nodules

When I was in middle school, I had Ms. Keaton as my seventh grade language arts teacher. I remember her telling the class to get all of our guided reading workbooks out and flip to a certain page, as we were about to begin a new chapter on history and diseases. When I flipped the book open and turned to the assigned page, I was intrigued by the image. The image was dark and sketchy, but the words “Yellow Fever” stood out in bold letters in the middle of the page. I cocked my head when I read the title, then I laughed.

Streptococcus pyogenes is a very common bacteria found in humans. It is very transmissible and can be caught through the air via coughing or sneezing. This form of Strep. illness is referred to as Streptococcal pharyngitis, also known as Strep. throat, which can complicate into Scarlet Fever. It is also possible to be infected through abrasions of the skin, which can result in cellulitis, impetigo, or even necrotizing fasciitis. Aside from human to human contact, these bacteria can also be found in unpasteurized milk. There is no vaccine for Streptococcal infections, though antibiotics such as penicillin still work very well against them.

The release of two exotoxins from certain strains of S. aureus can lead to Staphylococcal scaled skin syndrome (SSSS), which is characterized by blistering skin. Invasion into the body can lead to more serious health problems including pneumonia (a frequent complication of influenza), mastitis, phlebitis (inflammation of the veins), meningitis, and urinary tract infections. If the bacterium is allowed to colonize even deeper tissues more serious conditions such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis may result. The most serious consequences of these deeper tissue infections occur when the bacterium invades the bloodstream leading to septic shock and possibly death.

It is an infection caused by pathogens such as viruses, but more likely bacteria, especially when children are getting sick. In particular, the "responsible" is the number one affection Streptococcus, to be defeated, as we shall see in a moment, with the right