A seventh kid has died from the winter virus Strep A, prompting parents and doctors to be extra cautious if their kids become unwell.
After the latest victim, a 12-year-old child attending a London school, health officials sent a ‘urgent public health statement’ to GPs.
The UK Health Security Agency has advised clinicians to establish a “low threshold” for admitting kids with symptoms to hospital and administering antibiotics.
It has been distributed to all doctors, urgent care centers, A&Es, and paediatric and infectious disease departments.
So far this year, there have been 2.3 instances of Strep A per 100,000 kids aged one to four, which is more than treble the previous season’s average of 0.5.
The urgent health alert comes as Cabinet Minister Nadhim Zahawi stated yesterday that, while most instances of Strep A are minor, parents should be aware of the signs.
It is absolutely vital to be attentive because if it gets serious, it requires immediate care, the Tory party chairman expressed.
It is very contagious, which is why the most essential point to get through is that parents should be on the lookout for symptoms such as fever, headache, and skin rash.
The newest victim is said to be a Year 8 student at the fee-paying Colfe’s School in Lewisham, south-east London. He is the first secondary school student to die as a result of the current epidemic.
Similarly, Camila Rose Burns, four, of Bolton, is still struggling for her life on a ventilator after getting Strep A. She is being treated at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
Dean Burns, her dad, said last night, she is still in critical care, but she is displaying signs of progress. All they can do is hope she recovers. Her body went into shock, causing major damage to her limbs. It breaks his heart.
Group A Strep bacteria are often responsible for only mild infections such as impetigo, scarlet fever, and sore throat.
However, in rare situations, they can cause invasive Group A Streptococcal disease, which is fatal.
Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, four, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, died last month after getting Strep A and going into cardiac arrest.
Another of the kids that died was a six-year-old girl who went to Ashford Church of England Primary School in Surrey.
Thousands of parents are pondering withdrawing their kids from school as the virus spreads.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated that it is up to local health protection teams to determine if parents of kids attending schools where proven illnesses should be recommended should keep their kids at home.
Kids with scarlet fever, in which Strep A develops a sandpaper-like rash, should be kept at home, as per UKHSA guidelines.
Health authorities are asking parents to call NHS 111 or their doctor if their kid’s symptoms worsen, they stop eating, or they exhibit indications of dehydration.
