Is It Kawasaki Disease or Scarlet Fever? How Doctors Tell Fever-and-Rash Illnesses Apart

It is a little after three in the morning. A two-year-old is hot to the touch for the fourth night running, her eyes are pink, and a rash has crept across her chest. Her grandmother, who raised four children through the era of throat swabs and penicillin, looks at the tongue and says one word: scarlet fever. Her father, who has already searched the symptoms, says another: Kawasaki. Neither of them is being unreasonable.

The question of Kawasaki disease vs scarlet fever comes up in pediatric urgent care far more often than most families expect, because the two illnesses borrow from the same visual vocabulary. Fever, red rash, cracked lips, a tongue that looks like fruit. The difference sits in the details: what the eyes are doing, how old the child is, whether the throat hurts, and above all how long the fever has lasted.

This explainer walks through how clinicians weigh those details, what the evidence says about each illness, and which signs mean the waiting should stop and the phone call should start.

Why kawasaki disease vs scarlet fever is a genuinely hard call

Ask an experienced pediatrician which two rashes they most often see confused, and this pairing will come up quickly. Both illnesses tend to arrive with a fever that will not settle. Both can redden the tongue and lips. Both can peel the skin of the fingers and toes a week or two later. A parent describing symptoms over the phone can sound as though they are describing either one.

The overlap is not a coincidence of appearance alone. Some researchers have long suspected that Kawasaki disease is triggered by an infection in a child whose immune system responds in an unusual way, and the American Heart Association’s scientific statement on the condition notes that its cause remains unknown despite decades of study. Scarlet fever, by contrast, has a clear culprit: the same group A streptococcus bacterium that causes strep throat, which the CDC describes as producing a toxin responsible for the rash.

So the two conditions sit at opposite ends of a diagnostic spectrum. One has a named cause, a swab that can detect it and an antibiotic that treats it. The other has no single confirming test, a diagnosis built from a checklist of clinical features and a treatment aimed at calming the immune system rather than killing a germ.

Why does telling them apart matter so much? Because the stakes differ. Scarlet fever, treated with antibiotics, usually resolves without lasting harm, although untreated strep infections can lead to rheumatic fever and kidney inflammation. Kawasaki disease, if missed, can damage the coronary arteries that supply the heart. The AHA statement reports that roughly 25 percent of untreated children develop coronary artery aneurysms, while timely treatment lowers that figure to around 4 percent. Getting the label right, and getting it early, changes what happens next.

What actually happens in the body: an infection versus an inflammation

Picture scarlet fever as a fire with a visible source. Group A strep settles in the throat, and the child’s immune system mounts a response that produces fever and a sore, often very red throat. Certain strains of the bacterium release a toxin, and it is this toxin, spreading through the bloodstream, that produces the characteristic fine red rash. Kill the bacteria with an antibiotic and the toxin supply stops. Symptoms typically ease within a day or two, and the NHS advises that a child is no longer contagious 24 hours after starting antibiotics.

Kawasaki disease works differently. There is no bacterium to swab and no toxin to trace. The problem is vasculitis, a word that simply means inflammation of blood vessels. In Kawasaki disease the medium-sized arteries become inflamed, and the coronary arteries, the vessels that feed the heart muscle, are the ones clinicians worry about most. Inflamed artery walls can weaken and balloon outward into aneurysms, which can later narrow or develop clots.

The immune system is the engine in both illnesses, but in scarlet fever it is doing its job against an invader, while in Kawasaki disease it appears to be overreacting in a way that turns on the body’s own vessels. This is why the two treatments look nothing alike. One is an antibiotic. The other is intravenous immunoglobulin, a preparation of pooled antibodies from donated blood that damps down the inflammatory response, usually alongside aspirin for its anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects.

The mechanism also explains why fever behaves differently. Scarlet fever’s fever should fall once antibiotics take hold. Kawasaki disease’s fever ignores antibiotics entirely, because there is nothing for them to act on. The AHA notes that untreated Kawasaki fever lasts an average of 11 days, a persistence that becomes one of the most useful diagnostic clues.

Scarlet fever rash vs Kawasaki rash: reading the skin

Run a hand over a scarlet fever rash and you will understand its nickname. It feels like fine sandpaper: hundreds of tiny raised bumps on a background of red skin. The CDC describes it as usually appearing one to two days after the illness begins, though it can show up before the fever or as late as a week afterward. It commonly starts on the neck, underarms and groin and then spreads across the trunk and limbs. The face may flush while the area around the mouth stays pale, a pattern sometimes called circumoral pallor. In skin creases such as the elbows and groin, the redness can gather into darker lines.

The Kawasaki rash is far less predictable. Mayo Clinic describes it as appearing on the trunk and often in the groin area, and it can take many forms: flat red patches, raised bumps, blotches that merge, or a pattern resembling measles. What it usually does not do is form fine sandpaper or produce those creased lines. Blisters are uncommon in either illness; if a fever rash is blistering, clinicians think about other diagnoses.

Timing helps too. In scarlet fever the rash typically fades within about a week, and the CDC notes that peeling around the fingertips, toes and groin can follow and last several weeks. In Kawasaki disease the rash tends to come and go during the first week or two, while the dramatic peeling of the fingers and toes, often in large sheets, arrives in the second or third week as the fever finally breaks.

Neither rash, on its own, settles the question. Texture, distribution and timing are clues to be weighed alongside everything else, which is why a clinician will always look beyond the skin before naming either illness.

Strawberry tongue in children: a shared clue, not a verdict

Few symptoms unsettle a parent quite like a tongue that has turned bright red and bumpy. The term strawberry tongue describes exactly that: a swollen, reddened tongue with enlarged taste buds standing out like seeds on the fruit. It shows up in both scarlet fever and Kawasaki disease, and it is one of the main reasons the two are confused.

In scarlet fever the tongue often passes through stages. Early on it may carry a whitish coating with red bumps poking through, sometimes called a white strawberry tongue. As the coating sheds over a few days, the raw red surface beneath is exposed. The CDC lists this alongside a very red, sore throat, sometimes with white or yellow patches on the tonsils, as a core feature of the illness.

In Kawasaki disease the tongue changes are grouped with other oral findings. The AHA diagnostic criteria describe red, cracked lips, a strawberry tongue and diffuse redness of the lining of the mouth and throat, but notably without the pus-filled tonsils or discrete ulcers that point elsewhere. The lips in Kawasaki disease can be strikingly dry and fissured, sometimes bleeding, in a way that is less typical of scarlet fever.

Strawberry tongue also appears in other conditions, including toxic shock syndrome and some viral infections, which is why clinicians treat it as a flag rather than a diagnosis. A useful way to think about it: the tongue tells the doctor that a toxin or a system-wide inflammatory process is in play, but it cannot say which one. The next questions are always about the eyes, the hands, the age of the child and how many days the fever has lasted.

Eyes, hands and neck: the features that tip the balance

If the tongue is a shared clue, the eyes are a dividing one. Children with Kawasaki disease often develop bilateral conjunctival injection, a phrase meaning both eyes turn red because the tiny vessels on the white of the eye become engorged. The AHA statement emphasizes two details: the redness usually spares the ring immediately around the colored part of the eye, and there is little or no discharge. Sticky, crusted eyes point toward ordinary conjunctivitis or adenovirus instead. Scarlet fever does not typically involve the eyes at all.

Hands and feet offer another separation. In the first week of Kawasaki disease the palms and soles can turn red, and the backs of the hands and feet may swell in a firm, tense way that makes a toddler reluctant to walk or grip a cup. Scarlet fever rarely causes this early swelling, although both illnesses can produce peeling later.

Then there are the lymph nodes. Kawasaki disease classically produces a single enlarged node on one side of the neck, which the AHA defines as measuring at least 1.5 cm across. It can be tender and sometimes gets mistaken for a bacterial neck infection. Scarlet fever, being a throat infection, more often causes tender, smaller nodes on both sides beneath the jaw.

Behavior counts as well. Clinicians who see many children with Kawasaki disease describe an extreme irritability that seems out of proportion to the fever, an observation reflected in Mayo Clinic’s list of features. A miserable, inconsolable toddler with red eyes and puffy hands prompts a different line of thinking than a school-age child clutching a sore throat, even before any test is run.

Age and the fever clock: why day five matters

Two questions a clinician asks almost immediately are how old the child is and how many days the fever has lasted. Both carry real diagnostic weight.

Scarlet fever favors school-age children. The CDC reports that it is most common between the ages of 5 and 15, largely because that is when group A strep throat infections peak and when children are exchanging germs in classrooms. It is uncommon in children under three. Kawasaki disease runs the other way. The NHS notes that it mostly affects children under five, and the AHA statement records that around three quarters of cases occur in that age group. Neither pattern is absolute; older children develop Kawasaki disease and preschoolers do catch strep, but the odds shift noticeably with age.

Fever duration is the sharper tool. The NHS and AHA both anchor the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease to a fever lasting five days or more, typically high and unresponsive to the usual measures. Scarlet fever, once antibiotics are started, should settle within a couple of days. A child who has taken a full antibiotic course for presumed strep and is still feverish on day six or seven with red eyes and swollen hands is a child whose diagnosis needs revisiting.

Incubation also differs. The CDC places the incubation period for group A strep infections at roughly two to five days, so a recent sick classmate or sibling with strep raises the probability of scarlet fever. Kawasaki disease does not spread from child to child in any recognized way, and the NHS states plainly that it is not contagious.

Put together, age and the fever clock do not diagnose anything by themselves. They set the prior probability, the starting point from which the rash, tongue, eyes and lab tests move the needle one way or the other.

Kawasaki disease vs scarlet fever at a glance

The table below gathers the features clinicians most often weigh. Read it as a guide to how the two illnesses usually behave, not as a checklist for home diagnosis; individual children vary, and incomplete or atypical presentations of both are well described.

Feature	Kawasaki disease	Scarlet fever
Cause	Vasculitis of unknown trigger	Group A strep toxin
Typical age	Under 5 (about three quarters of cases, AHA)	5 to 15 (CDC)
Fever	Five days or more; untreated average about 11 days (AHA)	Usually eases within a day or two of antibiotics
Sore throat	Mild or absent	Prominent, often with red or spotted tonsils
Rash texture	Variable: blotchy, patchy or measles-like	Fine, sandpaper-like
Eyes	Both red, without discharge	Usually normal
Hands and feet	Early redness and swelling; sheet-like peeling in weeks 2–3	Fingertip peeling after rash fades, may last weeks (CDC)
Lymph nodes	Often one node in the neck, 1.5 cm or larger (AHA)	Tender nodes under the jaw, often both sides
Confirming test	None; clinical criteria plus echocardiogram	Rapid strep test or throat culture
Contagious	No (NHS)	Yes, until 24 hours on antibiotics (NHS)
Main concern if missed	Coronary artery aneurysms	Rheumatic fever, kidney inflammation, abscess

Notice how many rows carry the word usually. The most dangerous error is not confusing the two illnesses on day one, when they can look alike; it is failing to reconsider on day five or six when a presumed strep infection refuses to behave like one. Clinicians are trained to keep the question open, and families can help by tracking the fever honestly and reporting any new feature, especially red eyes or swollen hands, rather than assuming the first label was final.

How is Kawasaki disease diagnosed, and which look-alikes are ruled out?

There is no blood test that says Kawasaki disease. Diagnosis rests on the criteria set out in the AHA scientific statement: fever for at least five days plus at least four of five principal features, namely the rash, the red eyes without discharge, the oral changes, the hand and foot changes and the enlarged neck node. A child who meets that pattern, with no better explanation, is diagnosed on clinical grounds.

Many children do not read the textbook. Incomplete Kawasaki disease describes those with a prolonged fever and only two or three features. The AHA provides a pathway for these cases that leans on laboratory findings: markedly raised inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, a rising platelet count after the first week, anemia, low albumin, raised liver enzymes and white cells in the urine without infection. An echocardiogram, an ultrasound scan of the heart, is used to look for coronary artery changes and can support the diagnosis when the picture is unclear. Infants under six months are the hardest group, because they often show few features yet carry a higher risk of coronary damage.

Scarlet fever, by contrast, is confirmed with a rapid antigen test or throat culture for group A strep, both listed by the CDC as the standard route to diagnosis. A positive test in a child with the classic sandpaper rash usually settles matters, though clinicians remember that strep can be carried in the throat without causing illness.

Ruling out mimics is part of the job. Measles brings cough, runny nose and a rash that starts on the face. Adenovirus produces red eyes but with discharge and a positive viral swab. Drug reactions follow a new medicine. Toxic shock syndrome involves low blood pressure. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, which the CDC links to prior coronavirus infection, shares many Kawasaki features but more often includes abdominal pain and heart muscle involvement. Each is considered before the final label is applied.

Who is treated straight away, and who is asked to watch and wait

Timing pulls the two illnesses in opposite directions, and understanding why can ease a parent’s frustration when a clinician chooses to observe rather than act.

For scarlet fever, the path is direct. A child with a compatible rash and a positive strep test is prescribed antibiotics, usually a penicillin-class drug, and sent home with advice on fluids, rest and staying away from school until 24 hours after the first dose has been taken, per NHS guidance. Treatment is not usually delayed, because early antibiotics shorten the illness, limit spread and reduce the risk of rheumatic fever. The decision about which antibiotic, and for how long, belongs to the prescribing clinician, who will account for allergies and local resistance patterns.

For Kawasaki disease, a child who meets full criteria is treated promptly, ideally within the first ten days of fever. The AHA statement is emphatic that this window matters most for protecting the coronary arteries. Treatment is given in hospital because immunoglobulin is infused intravenously over several hours and the child needs monitoring.

Watch and wait applies to a specific group: children who have had fever for only two or three days with a couple of suggestive features and no clear alternative diagnosis. Treating everyone in this group would expose many children with self-limiting viral illnesses to a blood-derived product they do not need. Instead, clinicians may arrange a review within a day or two, request blood tests to track inflammation, and sometimes schedule an early echocardiogram. Parents are asked to return sooner if new features appear or the fever passes the five-day mark.

Watching is not the same as dismissing. The plan should include a named point of contact and a clear timeline, and families should feel able to ask what would prompt the team to change course.

What treatment involves for each illness

Once the diagnosis is settled, the two treatment pathways diverge completely, and each raises its own set of questions from families.

Scarlet fever is treated with an oral antibiotic taken for a course set by the clinician. The CDC advises completing the full course even if the child feels well after a day or two, because stopping early can allow bacteria to persist and raises the chance of complications. Comfort measures at home matter as much as the prescription: cool drinks, soft foods for a sore throat, rest, and fever relief as advised by the treating clinician. The rash and any later peeling need no specific treatment; a plain moisturizer can soothe dry skin. The NHS notes that the child can usually return to school or nursery 24 hours after starting antibiotics, provided they feel well enough.

Kawasaki disease treatment happens in hospital. Intravenous immunoglobulin is given as a single infusion over several hours, and the AHA statement describes fever resolving within about 36 hours in most children who respond. A minority remain feverish and are assessed for a second infusion or other anti-inflammatory medicines, decisions made by the pediatric team based on the child’s response. Aspirin is prescribed alongside, first for its anti-inflammatory effect and later, in a smaller antiplatelet role, to reduce clotting risk while the arteries recover. This is one of the rare childhood situations in which a doctor deliberately uses aspirin, and it is never something for families to start on their own; the timing and duration rest entirely with the treating team.

Both treatments have alternatives and trade-offs. Antibiotic choice can be adjusted for allergy. Immunoglobulin carries small risks of infusion reactions and, as a blood product, prompts questions some families want answered before consent. A good team explains these plainly, and no reputable clinician minds being asked.

The weeks that follow: Kawasaki disease peeling skin, heart scans and getting back to normal

Recovery from scarlet fever is usually quick and quietly undramatic. Fever settles within a day or two of antibiotics, the throat eases over the following days, and the rash fades within about a week. Peeling of the fingertips, toes and sometimes the groin can follow and, according to the CDC, may continue for several weeks. It is harmless and needs nothing beyond gentle skin care. The main follow-up task is completing the antibiotic course. Clinicians also stay alert in the weeks afterward for the rare post-strep complications: joint pain, breathlessness or a new heart murmur suggesting rheumatic fever, or dark urine and puffiness suggesting kidney inflammation.

Kawasaki disease unfolds over a longer arc, which the NHS divides into three phases. The acute phase covers roughly weeks one to two, when fever, rash, red eyes and swollen hands are at their height. The subacute phase, roughly weeks two to four, begins as the fever breaks; this is when the skin of the fingers and toes peels, often in large sheets that alarm parents but do not hurt, and when the platelet count typically climbs. The convalescent phase runs until inflammatory markers return to normal, usually around week four to six, though tiredness and irritability can linger.

Heart surveillance defines this period. The AHA recommends echocardiograms at diagnosis, again at one to two weeks, and again at four to six weeks after treatment, with further scans if any coronary change is seen. Most children with normal scans at six weeks are gradually discharged from cardiology follow-up, while those with aneurysms enter longer-term care planned by their team. Fine horizontal grooves across the nails, called Beau’s lines, can appear a month or two later and grow out harmlessly. Return to nursery and normal play is guided by the child’s energy and the team’s advice, not by a fixed date.

What people often get wrong

Misunderstandings about these two illnesses circulate widely, and several are worth correcting because they change how quickly families seek help.

The first is that a strawberry tongue means scarlet fever. It does not. The tongue changes in Kawasaki disease look very similar, and the same finding appears in other toxin-driven or inflammatory illnesses. A red tongue is a reason to be assessed, not a diagnosis.

The second is that a rash which peels must be an infection. Peeling in scarlet fever follows a toxin, while peeling in Kawasaki disease follows inflammation of the small vessels of the skin. Both peel. The pattern and timing, sheet-like peeling in week two or three versus fingertip flaking after the rash fades, offer clues, but peeling alone proves nothing.

The third is that Kawasaki disease is caught from another child. The NHS states that it is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person. Families sometimes blame themselves or a playgroup; the evidence does not support that.

The fourth is that scarlet fever is a relic of history and no longer occurs. Cases continue to be reported in many countries, and the CDC maintains current guidance because the illness remains common in school-age children.

The fifth is that antibiotics will sort out any fever-and-rash illness. In Kawasaki disease they do nothing, because there is no bacterium to target. A child whose fever persists through a full antibiotic course is precisely the child who needs reassessment.

The sixth is the reverse error: that Kawasaki disease is always dramatic and obvious. Incomplete presentations, especially in infants, can be subtle, which is why prolonged unexplained fever in a young child deserves a clinician’s attention regardless of how few textbook features are present.

Questions to ask your care team

Parents often leave a consultation with the diagnosis but not the reasoning, and the reasoning is what helps them know when to come back. These questions are designed to draw it out. Write down the answers; a feverish night blurs memory.

• Which features are you weighing most heavily, and which diagnosis do you think is more likely right now?
• Has a throat swab or rapid strep test been done, and how will the result change the plan?
• If this is being treated as scarlet fever, at what point would a continuing fever make you reconsider Kawasaki disease?
• Are blood tests for inflammation helpful at this stage, and if so, when should they be repeated?
• Does my child need an echocardiogram now, and if not, what would prompt one?
• What exactly should I watch for at home over the next 24 to 48 hours, and who do I contact if I see it?
• If Kawasaki disease is diagnosed, what does the immunoglobulin infusion involve, what are its risks, and how will you judge whether it has worked?
• Why is aspirin being used for my child when it is normally avoided in children, and how will you decide when to stop it?
• How many follow-up heart scans are planned, and what would a normal result mean for future care?
• When can my child return to nursery or school, and are there any activity limits in the meantime?
• Should other children in the household be checked or kept apart?

A team that welcomes these questions is doing its job well. If an answer is uncertain, an honest response such as we do not know yet but here is how we will find out is far more reassuring than false confidence. Every treatment decision, including whether and when to treat, remains with the clinicians caring for your child.

When to call your doctor

Most children with a fever and rash have a mild viral illness that resolves on its own, but both scarlet fever and Kawasaki disease are conditions where prompt assessment changes outcomes. A useful rule from NHS guidance is that any fever lasting five days or more in a child, whatever else is going on, warrants a medical review.

Arrange a same-day appointment or contact your clinician if your child has a fever together with a new rash, especially one with a sandpaper feel; a very sore throat with red or spotted tonsils; a bright red or bumpy tongue with cracked lips; red eyes without discharge; swelling or redness of the hands or feet; or a swollen, tender lump in the neck. Also call if a child already taking antibiotics for suspected scarlet fever is still feverish after two days, or develops any of the features above.

Seek emergency care immediately, by calling emergency services or going to the nearest emergency department, if your child is unusually drowsy, floppy or difficult to wake; is breathing fast, grunting or working hard to breathe; has lips, skin or tongue that look blue, gray or mottled; has a rash that does not fade when a glass is pressed against it; has a stiff neck or a seizure; is not passing urine or is showing signs of dehydration such as a dry mouth and no tears; complains of chest pain or has a racing or irregular heartbeat; or is inconsolable in a way that feels wrong to you as a parent.

After treatment for Kawasaki disease, contact the team urgently if fever returns, if your child becomes pale, sweaty or short of breath, or if there is any new chest discomfort. After scarlet fever, report joint pain, swelling, dark or bloody urine, puffiness of the face or a new breathlessness in the following weeks. Trust your instincts; clinicians would rather see a child unnecessarily than miss one who needed them.

Frequently asked questions

Can a child have Kawasaki disease and scarlet fever at the same time?

It is possible but uncommon. Group A strep can be carried in the throat without causing illness, so a positive swab does not rule out Kawasaki disease. Clinicians become suspicious when a child with confirmed strep remains feverish after two days of antibiotics or develops red eyes and swollen hands. In that situation the team reassesses against the Kawasaki criteria rather than assuming the first diagnosis explains everything.

What does the scarlet fever rash vs Kawasaki rash look like side by side?

The scarlet fever rash feels like fine sandpaper, starts on the neck and trunk and often gathers into darker lines in skin creases. The Kawasaki rash is more variable, appearing as blotches, patches or a measles-like pattern on the trunk and groin, without the sandpaper texture. Neither rash is blistering, and neither alone confirms the diagnosis; the eyes, hands and fever duration carry more weight.

What are the most common causes of strawberry tongue in children?

Scarlet fever and Kawasaki disease are the two best-known causes, and both produce a swollen, bright red tongue with prominent bumps. Toxic shock syndrome and some viral infections can also cause it. Because the sign overlaps so many conditions, doctors treat it as a reason to examine the whole child rather than a diagnosis in itself.

Why does Kawasaki disease cause peeling skin on fingers and toes?

The peeling reflects inflammation of the small blood vessels in the skin during the acute phase. As the inflammation settles, the outer layer separates and sheds, often in large sheets, typically in the second or third week after fever begins. It is painless and needs no treatment beyond gentle moisturizer. Scarlet fever also causes peeling, usually finer flaking after the rash fades.

How is Kawasaki disease diagnosed if there is no specific test?

Diagnosis is clinical, based on the AHA criteria of fever for at least five days plus four of five principal features. When fewer features are present, blood tests showing marked inflammation, a rising platelet count, anemia or low albumin support the diagnosis, and an echocardiogram looks for coronary artery changes. Other illnesses such as measles, adenovirus and drug reactions are excluded along the way.

Is Kawasaki disease contagious like scarlet fever?

No. The NHS states that Kawasaki disease cannot be passed from one child to another. Scarlet fever, caused by group A strep, spreads through respiratory droplets and close contact, and a child remains contagious until 24 hours after starting antibiotics. Household contacts of a child with Kawasaki disease do not need isolation or treatment.

How long does fever last in Kawasaki disease compared with scarlet fever?

Untreated Kawasaki fever lasts an average of about 11 days according to the AHA, and it does not respond to antibiotics; after immunoglobulin treatment most children become fever-free within about 36 hours. Scarlet fever usually settles within one to two days of starting antibiotics. A fever that outlasts an antibiotic course is a key reason to reassess.

Why is aspirin used for Kawasaki disease when it is usually avoided in children?

Aspirin is normally avoided in children because of the rare risk of Reye’s syndrome, but Kawasaki disease is a recognized exception. It is prescribed by the hospital team for its anti-inflammatory effect early on and its anti-clotting effect while the coronary arteries recover. The decision about timing and duration rests with the treating clinicians, and families should never start it independently.

What follow-up heart scans are needed after Kawasaki disease?

The AHA recommends an echocardiogram at diagnosis, another at one to two weeks and a third at four to six weeks after treatment. If all are normal, most children are gradually released from cardiology follow-up. If coronary changes are found, the team plans longer-term surveillance based on the size and course of the abnormality.

Can scarlet fever cause lasting harm if it is treated late?

Treated promptly with antibiotics, scarlet fever usually resolves without complications. Left untreated or partially treated, group A strep infection can lead to rheumatic fever, which may damage heart valves, or to post-streptococcal kidney inflammation. Ear infections and throat abscesses are also possible. Completing the full antibiotic course as prescribed is the main protection against these outcomes.

References

• NHS: Kawasaki disease
• CDC: About Scarlet Fever
• NHS: Scarlet fever
• MedlinePlus: Kawasaki Disease

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.