Health certificates

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Rob Houghton
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Rob Houghton »

Doing a search, I just discovered that Scarlatina is the same as Scarlet fever...which surprised me, as my dad had Scarlatina when he was in the RAF in Cyprus in 1957, and said it wasn't very bad at all and not as bad as Scarlet Fever. It spread through the whole RAF base, but no one was very ill! :?
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Katharine
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Katharine »

That's interesting Rob, I'd always heard they were two separate illnesses.

On the subject of hair cutting, I'm reminded of a scene in the film The Family Way. The bride's parents are having a disagreement and the mother says something about getting the daughter's hair cut when she was younger because "It was drawing away all her strength - the school doctor said so". I know it's only a film/play, but presumably it was based on what people really thought in the 1950s and 60s. There are still people who think that if you cut your hairfrequently it will make it grow quicker.
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Daisy
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Daisy »

My elder son had scarlatina - or so I was told! It was, I thought, a mild type of scarlet fever. He had a rash and a temperature for a few days. I can't even remember if there was any medication involved. He was about 6 at the time.
'Tis loving and giving that makes life worth living.

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Rob Houghton
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Rob Houghton »

Yes - I'd always been led to believe Scarlatina was a mild form of the disease, but if you 'Google' it, every post that comes up says its just 'another name for scarlet fever'! :shock:
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Moonraker
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Moonraker »

Katharine wrote:There are still people who think that if you cut your hairfrequently it will make it grow quicker.
I wonder if that is what prompted Rob to shave his head...
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Rob Houghton »

:lol: :P

Quite the opposite! I actually prefer a bald head! :-D I can still just about grow a full head of hair, although I am receding each side, so after years of long hair, I think its much easier to manage now! I've been completely shaved since 2006. :-)

I've heard the same said about beard growth, chest hair, and finger nails. I'm guessing its just a load of rubbish!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Owl's Dene
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Owl's Dene »

My Father used to tell me of scarlet fever epidemics in the 1930s that resulted in the deaths of several children from his grammar school.
One of my uncles caught it as a child in the late 1930s and was in hospital, his parents could only see him through a window and my Grandfather had to have a week off work (he travelled to London daily by train and he was considered a risk to passengers as he may have been carrying it) and the other children were kept off school. People from public health sealed his bedroom and fumigated it with a special candle.
As for the girl's hair, as mentioned earlier, a side effect of scarlet fever was the skin peeling off, maybe flakes of skin in the hair were considered a contagion risk, as well as being messy, and that is why her head was shaved.
My Father was seriously alarmed when I told him a colleagues child was off school with scarlet fever, he said my colleague should not be in work. This was in about 2003, why is it less seriously taken and a more mild illness now? Is it less contagious or is it just easily treated with modern drugs?
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Scarlet fever is treated with antibiotics now. According to the NHS website, treatment with antibiotics reduces the length of time the infection is contagious, speeds up recovery and reduces the risk of any further problems.
Scarlet fever usually clears up within a week, although the skin may peel for a few weeks after the other symptoms have passed.

The infection is contagious from before the symptoms appear, until:

24 hours after starting antibiotic treatment

up to two or three weeks later if you don't take antibiotics
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Scarlet-fe ... ction.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Hayleymoomin
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Re: Health certificates

Post by Hayleymoomin »

I had scarlett fever aged 25 in 2005! Treatable now but nasty still. Notifiable too. I can't even begin to imagine how awful it must have been to get this as a child with no real treatment available
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