Reports: Berlusconi has mild case of scarlet fever; doctor says risks are limited

Reports: Berlusconi has mild case of scarlet fever

ROME — Italian news reports say Premier Silvio Berlusconi will skip an event in the quake-stricken Abruzzo region due to a mild case of scarlet fever. A doctor says risks are limited and can be controlled with antibiotics.

Berlusconi’s office declined to comment Monday.

The ANSA news agency and newspaper Corriere della Sera say Berlusconi was skipping Tuesday’s event because of the disease — caused by the bacteria streptococcus. The event was canceled as a result.

Corriere says the 73-year-old Berlusconi apparently contracted scarlet fever from a grandchild.

Dr. Massino Galli, a professor of infectious diseases at Milan University, told Corriere that scarlet fever is rare in men in their 70s, and can be controlled with antibiotics.