Two pupils at a Carmarthenshire primary school with an outbreak of scarlet fever have required hospital treatment, a senior councillor said. Councillor Glynog Davies said around two dozen children at Brynaman Primary School were suffering from the bacterial infection. One of the two more serious cases had been admitted to Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales.
Cllr Davies, addressing a meeting of full council, said five schools in Carmarthenshire had scarlet fever cases of varying numbers and that the authority was working very closely with Public Health Wales (PHW).
Scarlet fever is caused by a bacteria group called streptococcus, known as strep A. It causes flu-like symptoms such as a temperature, sore throat and swollen neck glands. Other symptoms include a rash with a sand-papery feel and a red, swollen tongue. Read more about the illness here.
