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Medical Author:

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Doerr received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado in 1998 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine from Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in 2002, where he also served as Chief Resident.

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Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Antibiotics are the cornerstone of treatment for scarlet fever, and they are generally curative. Antibiotics not only prevent the potential complications associated with streptococcal infection (for example, acute rheumatic fever), but they also shorten the duration of symptoms (by up to one day) and decrease contagiousness. In general, individuals with scarlet fever are not contagious after taking antibiotics for at least 24 hours.

The most commonly used antibiotics include either oral penicillin VK for 10 days or the administration of a onetime intramuscular injection of penicillin G benzathine. Alternative antibiotics include the first-generation cephalosporin drug class. For those individuals allergic to penicillin, erythromycin (E.E.S. Granules, E.E.S.-200, E.E.S.-400, E.E.S.-400 Filmtab, EryPed, EryPed 200, EryPed 400, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin Stearate Filmtab, PCE Dispertab) is recommended.

It is very important to complete the full course of antibiotics prescribed to you, as early cessation of antibiotics can lead to an inadequately treated infection, thus increasing the risk of possibly developing potential complications.

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