Is scarlet fever in pregnancy dangerous?

Scarlet fever in pregnancy is not dangerous or puts the baby at risk, however if the pregnant woman is infected shortly before delivery, there is a risk of contaminating the baby at the time of delivery.

In these cases, the pregnant woman should be treated with antibiotics as soon as possible and it may be necessary to continue taking antibiotics during labor to decrease the chances of infecting the baby. In addition, the obstetrician may decide to wait and postpone delivery, if necessary, until the pregnant woman runs out of antibiotics and has completely eliminated the disease-causing bacteria.

For this reason, it is very important that the pregnant woman takes some precautions during pregnancy to avoid becoming infected, especially in the last weeks of pregnancy.

What to do to avoid getting scarlet fever in pregnancy

For the pregnant woman not to catch scarlet fever in pregnancy, she should, mainly, avoid contact with children or adults with scarlet fever, avoiding attending schools, cinemas and shopping malls and, if necessary, wearing a mask, as the scarlet fever infection occurs through the air, through inhalation of cough or sneeze droplets from an infected individual.

In addition, if the pregnant woman has a child with scarlet fever, she should wash the child's clothes separately from those of the rest of the family and with hot water and soap, and disinfect her personal objects with gauze or cotton swabs.

Usually, scarlet fever is no longer contagious 24 hours after treatment, so this care is essential in the first days that the child or adult becomes infected.

How to know if I have scarlet fever in pregnancy

Scarlet fever is manifested by reddish-pink patches on the skin, which may or may not cause itching, fever and red tongue, usually after pharyngitis, which causes many sore throats.