Thanks, Anti-Vaxxers. You Just Brought Back Measles in NYC.

[sybylla]

136. I had Scarlet Fever twice in the early 70's

I showed no outward signs of strep so there was no doctor visit until all of a sudden my fever spiked and a red rash popped up all over my skin, my mom rushed me to the doctor. Got antibiotics then, and it kept me from suffering the worst of it.

Second time the nurse told my mom on the phone it isn't possible to get Scarlet Fever twice. It couldn't possibly be what she was seeing. Got in to see the doctor anyway and, lo and behold, the doctor stroked his chin and said, "Yep, that's Scarlet Fever."

It happened the same way for my son. Because I had Scarlet Fever, I knew exactly what he had when it popped up without any other signs of a precursor strep infection.

The difference between now and the pre-antibiotic, pre-tylenol era is that children don't die any more or suffer brain damage from Scarlet Fever. That doesn't mean they don't still get it.

In the previous poster's defense, not everyone could afford a doctor in the first half of the last century, or could manage a run to see a doctor every time someone caught a fever or a sore throat. That's a luxury afforded to people who lived in or near a city with a clinic/hospital. Lots of moms and dads nursed their children's illnesses without the benefit of doctors. Additionally, I would guess there are a few posters in this community who were born before antibiotics became regularly prescribed for these kinds of things in the 40's.