Chickenpox and scarlet fever circulating in schools

Cases of chickenpox and scarlet fever are "circulating in the school community", Guernsey's Public Health Services (PHS) has said.

It has asked parents to look out for symptoms and contact their GP as soon as possible if they think their child has scarlet fever, which can be treated with antibiotics.

Symptoms include a sore throat, headache, fever and nausea or vomiting, followed by a fine rash which often starts on the chest and stomach before spreading.

Chickenpox usually starts with a mild fever, followed by an itchy rash and children should stay home until all spots have crusted over, which usually takes five days, the services said.

PHS said children who have recently had chickenpox can be "slightly more vulnerable" to complications if they develop scarlet fever.

It urged parents to get medical advice if their child becomes unusually unwell, has a persistent high temperature or develops a skin infection, joint pain or swelling.

People can also follow hygiene steps, such as washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes to help prevent the illnesses spreading.

Alex Hawkins-Drew, associate director of Public Health, said it was not unusual for both chickenpox and scarlet fever to circulate in the community at the same time.

"As they are notifiable diseases, Public Health monitors patterns of infection closely," he said.

"In the last eight days, Public Health has been made aware of 23 cases of chickenpox.

"The majority of those are in children between the ages of four and 11. There have been fewer than five reported cases of scarlet fever in the same period."

He added: "While most children recover well from these illnesses, having both infections at the same time can increase the risk of a rare complication known as invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS). Cases of iGAS remain uncommon, but early recognition is important."

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.