TREVISO – I pediatricians who have visited the children have already called it ascarlet fever epidemic. In the last few days they have emerged 50 infections among students in Treviso schools and its urban belt. He is responsible group A strep. Symptoms range from fever al sore throatup to the known raised red dots on the skin. Precisely in this period the antibiotic is scarce. But fortunately, so far, none of the affected children has developed serious complications requiring hospitalization.
THE PAINTING
«We have many cases, scattered patchily: in various schools in Treviso and the surrounding area, scarlet fever is taking over, confirms Francesco Benazzi, general manager of the USL, around fifty infections have so far been recorded. Definitely more than usual. Luckily, the end of the school year is now approaching.’ Transmission occurs by air, through droplets emitted with coughs and sneezes by a sick person or a carrier of the germ, even without symptoms. Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, the infected person is immediately isolated in order to reduce the risk of the disease spreading. The treatment involves taking an antibiotic in particular: amoxicillin. And here another problem arises. There are more and more pharmacies in the Treviso area that do not have them in this period. “We shot three before finding the drug,” reveals a parent.
THE BOARD
At the end of last month, the Region released an ad hoc information sheet for white coats which, precisely in light of the lack of amoxicillin, indicates possible alternative antibiotic therapies for the most common pediatric infections. In the meantime, some pharmacies have begun to produce the antibiotic “in-house” on the basis of the operating instructions for the galenic preparation also disseminated by the Italian Society of Hospital Pharmacy and by the Italian Society of Preparatory Pharmacists. “Fortunately, it is not an invasive disease. It resolves itself within seven or ten days, underlines Benazzi, it can give a sore throat, fever and red dots. But we didn’t have any hospitalization.” Someone has already come to ask for the temporary closure of the affected schools, to cut the possible bridges of contagion. But it’s no use. “There are no national indications on the closure of schools for scarlet fever, the general manager clarifies, we proceed by isolating children who develop the disease”.