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COUNTY DINWIDDIE, Va. (WRIC) – A children's school student from Southside Elementary School in Dinwiddie County has been diagnosed with scarlet fever.
A spokesman for the Dinwiddie County Public Schools told 8News that they had been informed of the diagnosis Thursday and had immediately contacted the Ministry of Health.
Parents of students who are in the same class or take the same bus as the student diagnosed are notified Thursday.
8News spoke with Kim Toombs, a close friend of the family of the infected child.
"He was not feeling well on Monday," said Toombs. "It was covered and it looked like measles."
Hollie Kennedy, a parent whose child attends the Dinwiddie public schools, was shocked to hear the news.
"It's amazing, you do not think about it today, it's so long ago, so you do not really know what to expect," Kennedy said.
Scarlet fever is a bacterial disease that develops from strep throat and is most common in children 5 to 15 years of age. The CDC reports that infected people spread the bacteria by coughing or sneezing, creating small respiratory droplets containing the bacteria.
Dr. Clifton Hawkes of the Southside Physicians Network said it was necessary that parents with children in schools be worried.
"Even though it may cause an illness that may last for seven days and disappear, there are potential complications for the infected person," he said.
Anyone with any questions or concerns should contact the Dinwiddie Health Department at (804) 469-3771.
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