Scarlet fever - Causes 

Scarlet fever is extremely contagious.

It can be caught by:

• breathing in bacteria in airborne droplets from an infected person's coughs and sneezes
• touching the skin of a person with a streptococcal skin infection
• sharing contaminated towels, baths, clothes or bed linen

It can also be spread by people who have the bacteria in their throat but do not show any symptoms (known as carriers).

You will only develop the symptoms of scarlet fever if you are susceptible to the toxins released by streptococcal bacteria.