Seven children are reported to have died after an outbreak of an invasive form of Strep A bacterial infection in recent months.
On Saturday, it became known that a 12-year-old eighth grade student at a school in south London died after contracting an infection.
Six more children have died since the outbreak, including seven-year-old Hanna Rope from Penarth, Wales, and four-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ali from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
Another four-year-old girl, Camila Rose Burns, is on a ventilator at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool after contracting Streptococcus A.
What is Streptococcus A?
This is a bacterium that can sometimes be found in the throat or on the skin. While many people can tolerate it without any side effects, they can pass it on to others who can then get sick.
Streptococcus A usually causes mild illnesses such as sore throats and skin infections.
It can also cause scarlet fever. Although it is usually a mild illness, it is highly contagious.
Symptoms of scarlet fever include:
- Sore throat
- Headache
- fever
- fine, pink, or red sandpaper-like rash On darker skin, the rash may be harder to see visually, but it does look like sandpaper.
The UK Health Protection Agency (UKHSA) advises contacting NHS 111 or your GP if you suspect your child has scarlet fever.
Early antibiotic treatment is important to reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia or bloodstream infection.
If your child has scarlet fever, leave them at home for at least 24 hours after starting a course of antibiotics to avoid infecting others.
Rarely, Strep A bacteria can cause a serious and life-threatening illness called group A invasive streptococcal disease (iGAS).
A UKHSA press release states: “On very rare occasions, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause a disease called invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS).
“While still uncommon, there has been an increase in invasive cases of group A streptococcus this year, especially in children under the age of 10.”
He added that there were “2.3 cases per 100,000 children aged 1 to 4, compared with an average of 0.5 in the pre-pandemic period (from 2017 to 2019) and 1.1 cases per 100,000 children aged 1 to 4 years 5 to 9 years compared to pre-pandemic times. Pandemic average 0.3 (from 2017 to 2019) at the same time of the year.”
What symptoms should be looked out for?
Warning signs of invasive disease include:
- Fever (high temperature above 38°C)
- severe muscle pain
The UKHSA advises: “Anyone with a high fever, severe muscle pain, pain in any part of the body and unexplained vomiting or diarrhea should call NHS 111 and seek immediate medical attention.”
Streptococcus A is treated with antibiotics. There is no vaccine against it.
How can you get Streptococcus A?
It can be spread through close contact and from people with the bacteria through coughing, sneezing, or kissing.
Streptococcus A outbreaks can occur in places such as schools and nursing homes.
Can adults get Streptococcus A?
Streptococcus A can also affect adults, and although anyone can get scarlet fever, it is more common in children than adults.
Adults at increased risk for scarlet fever:
- parents of school children
- who have frequent contact with children
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people in community environments such as schools and nursing homes are also at higher risk.
What is causing the increase in cases of streptococcal infections?
The UKHSA reports that the number of Streptococcus A cases is at a “six-year high” at this time of year.
Dr Susan Hopkins, UKHSA Senior Medical Adviser, says the loosening of Covid restrictions means such infections are spreading faster.
“We have returned to a normal social composition and the disease patterns that we have seen over the past few months are not consistent with the normal seasons as people again mix and move normally and transmit the infection,” she said. BBC.
Dr. Nicole Robb, professor of virology and co-founder of medical technology company Pictura Bio, said: “We are experiencing what we call the perfect respiratory storm.
“These diseases are seasonal so cases tend to increase during the winter months, but this could get worse as we all ‘lost’ our immunity during the Covid lockdown as we had little to no contact with everyday insects.
“This is why young children are most at risk of contracting streptococcus and other infections. Many have never encountered the same insects that we had as children, and therefore their bodies have not learned to deal with them.