Parents are being urged to be on the lookout for cases of scarlet fever following a spike across the North West.
The warning comes from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which states there has been an increase compared to 2021 when measures during the covid pandemic such as social distancing, enhanced hygiene and school and nursery closures kept cases below average.
A total of 914 notifications of scarlet fever were reported between September 2021 and March 2022 in the North West, the highest rate of any region in England. In Merseyside, there were 40 cases of the disease noted in the week ending April 3, including 20 in Liverpool; nine in Knowsley; four in Sefton, four in Wirral, and three in St Helens.
