Three confirmed cases of what??
May 8th, 2007 by B.
Today as I was leaving with Sydney’s class for field trip #172639, I happened to notice a sign saying in the past week they’ve had 3 confirmed cases of scarlet fever. I’m sure all the seasoned europeans are thinking “what’s the big deal?”, but please, allow me my uncool american freak-out. That’s what Beth died from in Little Women!! It just seems so 1800’s ‘burn the bed sheets & bring out your dead’ serious.
This also comes on the heels of an announcement that the school (and surrounding woods) have a severe tick infestation. And naturally every kid today wanted to hold my hand/sneeze on me/cough in my face… it also goes without saying that we took the shortcut through the woods to the tram stop. Lovely. I’m now convinced I’m going to die from some mutant hybrid of lyme disease and scarlet fever. I seriously wanted to pull a Michael Jackson… don a surgical mask, throw a blanket over Sydney’s head, and get the hell out of there.
What’s next? Bubonic plague? Dengue fever?
Sheesh!
A Potato famine will surely strike soon.
and they claim Amerika is more dangerous than Germany!
The ticks here actually carry something much worse than lyme disease, I forget what it’s called and don’t feel like searching (I believe it’s some form of encephalitis), but anyways, it’s bad and there’s no treatment. You can get vaccinations against it. You may want to consider this. I’d do it if I wasn’t preggers.
I’ve been vacinated against the Tick disease thing (no idea what its called), but its only really widespead mainly in southern Germany. A lot of doctors surgeries have maps about this stuff. If your worried about it ask your doctor next time you see him.
TB is apparently making a comeback in Eastern Europe. So is the plague is some parts of the world…..ho hum!
Well, we’re back in the dark ages it seems! Glad tidings!Anyway, if you were in Japan, the mask would be totally normal. People wear them everywhere.
Hope you and yours stay healthy!
Not only did Beth die from it, I believe that’s also what the boy had that landed the Velveteen Rabbit outside in the burn pile! Isn’t scarlet fever what happens when strep throat isn’t treated quickly enough? The doc probably gave them some herbal tea prescription and said to come back only if it progresses to rheumatic fever and their hearts start failing. Wouldn’t want to use antibiotics for a good reason, after all. Although they prescribe them to me every time I get a freaking cold since I’m asthmatic (which I think is a quite excessive precaution), my husband had a severe infection in his foot a while back and asked for some antibiotics. The emergency doc said, “why would you want to pollute your system with drugs?!” Ummmm… having a bacterial infection is usually a pretty good reason…
Yikes. Scarlet fever was rampant when my kids were in kindergarten but they never got it and neither did we. I don’t think it’s as bad as it sounds but it MUST be treated with antibiotics or you risk heart damage. And you really have to watch out for those ticks but I wouldn’t go overboard with worry.
My boys brought home a notice from school today saying that 5 kids had come down with the MEASLES and that all students (and teachers, I guess) have to bring their immunization records tomorrow to prove they’ve been immunized (mine have had the standard two immunizations) or else they’ll get another shot. Great. Germans are not too good about immunizing their children, unfortunately and some will even host a “measles party” to make sure their children get the disease. Can’t really get my brain around that one.
I will join you in your hypochondria. I’m freaking about the ticks too. And the vaccine also freaks me out.
Christina reminded me of something by mentioning Measles. Two years ago my 14yo niece here came down with Mumphs. Uh, isn’t that part of the MMR vaccine that we should all be getting as children? They don’t think (they can’t remember?!) if she was ever vaccinated. Good grief.
My husband got Rubella last year (German measles). He was vaccinated but in a small percentage of cases, the vaccine doesn’t work. They never figured out how he was exposed to it, though!