Parental awareness of children attending child care facilities in Varna region regarding scarlet fever

Introduction: Scarlet fever is an extremely relevant issue in the field of public health due to its widespread distribution and the complications that can arise from untimely diagnosis and treatment. Parents' knowledge regarding the modes of transmission of the pathogen, possible complications, and prevention measures plays a key role in controlling the disease.Aim: The aim of this article is to study the awareness of parents of children attending organized care facilities in the city of Varna regarding scarlet fever.Materials and Methods: An anonymous survey was conducted among 639 parents of children attending six child care facilities in the city of Varna. The survey contained 29 closed-ended and 1 open-ended question. Sociological, statistical and mathematical, and graphical methods were used.Results: From the conducted survey, we found that 92.6% of respondents knew the main symptoms of scarlet fever and 77.2% of them were informed about the transmission methods of the pathogen, but 43% of parents did not know about the complications from the infection. For main sources of information about the disease, the respondents indicated mainly the general practitioner (41.8%) and social networks (18.8%).Conclusion: Targeted educational campaigns among parents are necessary to increase their awareness regarding the spread of infectious diseases in child care facilities.