CASES of scarlet fever in Cheshire have increased for the second year in a row.

Public Health England (PHE) has reported a continued substantial increase in scarlet fever notifications across England, with 754 cases reported in the week ending March 8 alone.

In Cheshire and Merseyside, 364 cases were reported in weeks 37 to 10 of 2014/15 compared to 118 for the same period the year before.

In England as a whole, there were 5,746 cases reported in weeks 37 to 10 of 2014/15 compared to 2,830 in the same period the year before.

Dr Theresa Lamagni, PHE’s head of streptococcal infection surveillance, said: "Scarlet fever is a seasonal disease and this is the time of year when the highest numbers of cases are typically seen.

“Given that the scarlet fever season should peak within the next few weeks, we should see a reduction in numbers soon, but in the meantime substantial numbers of people will continue to be affected.”

Early signs to look out for are sore throat, headache and fever with the characteristic pinkish sandpapery rash appearing within a day or two, typically on the chest and stomach but then spreading to other parts of the body.

Scarlet fever is highly contagious and children or adults diagnosed with it should stay at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment.