Strep A deaths: Another five children die as UK death toll rises to 24

A further five children have died from Strep A as the bug continues to sweep the UK post-lockdown.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows 21 children in England have died from the usually mild bacterial infection.

Two children in Wales and one in Northern Ireland have also lost their lives, bringing the UK death toll to 24 this winter.

The victims include Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, a four-year-old boy from Buckinghamshire, and Hannah Roap, seven, from Wales.

Strep A bacteria can cause a number of other infections, including impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat

While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, in exceptionally rare cases, the bacteria can cause invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS).

Although low, the number of children dying from Strep A in the UK is higher than expected for this time of year.

Twenty-seven under-18s died from the disease throughout the last terrible winter of 2017/18.

Strep A bacteria can cause a number of other infections, including impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat.

While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, in exceptionally rare cases, the bacteria can cause invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS).

Two of the most severe forms of this invasive disease are necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Both can kill.

Data suggests cases of iGAS are already up to five times higher than last winter – which was unusually quiet.

However, the values ​​already observed this season have exceeded all peak values ​​of the last six years.

Normally spikes in iGAS cases occur every three to four years, but social distancing during the Covid pandemic is believed to have broken this cycle.

Some experts have suggested that this has led to reduced immunity to Strep A in some youngsters – with a large number of children never having been exposed to the bacteria in their lives.

High rates of other respiratory viruses — including influenza, RSV and norovirus — could also put children at higher risk of co-infection with Strep A, making them more susceptible to serious illness, the World Health Organization said.

dr Colin Brown, Deputy Director of the UKHSA, said: “I understand how this large increase in scarlet fever and strep throat can worry parents.

“However, the condition is easily treated with antibiotics and it is very rare for a child to become more seriously ill.

“Most winter illnesses can be treated at home and NHS.UK has information to help parents care for children with mild illness.

“NHS services are under a lot of pressure this winter but please visit NHS.UK, contact 111 online or your GP practice if your child has symptoms of scarlet fever or strep throat so they can be screened for treatment.”

Last week, experts revealed that five times more penicillin prescriptions were issued compared to the previous three weeks.

They said some forms of antibiotics could be put on a “shortage protocol” so pharmacists can give worried parents alternatives, rather than forcing them to go to different pharmacies or return to their GP to ask for a new prescription.

Speaking at a webinar for clinicians on Strep A, Professor Susan Hopkins, Senior Medical Advisor at the UKHSA said: “We’ve been embracing it with plenty of antibiotics.

“I have been told in the last few days that we are using five times more penicillin than three weeks ago.

“And of course, if we keep using this volume, our stocks and supplies won’t last that long.

“We always have a few weeks of supplies and reserves, not months, and so having more supplies on hand is crucial.”

However, she emphasized that there is a “plethora” of antibiotics that can be used in addition to penicillin to treat Strep A and that “there is absolutely no risk of seriously ill children being put in a position where they are not treated can”.

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From the “bubbly” seven-year-old whose father was desperate to save her with CPR, to the four-year-old who loved exploring: The Victims of Strep A Until Now

Muhammad Ibrahim Ali

The four-year-old boy attended Oakridge School and Nursery in High Wycombe, Bucks.

He died of cardiac arrest at home in mid-November after contracting Strep A.

He was prescribed antibiotics.

His mother, Shabana Kousar, told the Bucks Free Press: “The loss is great and nothing will replace it.

“He was very helpful around the house and quite adventurous, loved exploring and enjoyed forest school, his best day was a Monday and said Monday was the best day of the week.

Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, who attended Oakridge School and Nursery in High Wycombe, Bucks, died after contracting the bacterial infection

Hannah Roapp

The “bubbly” and “beautiful” seven-year-old is the only child to have died from Strep A in Wales so far.

Her devastated parents shared how their “hearts were shattered into a million pieces.”

The first signs of infection were mild, Hanna’s father Abul took his daughter to the family doctor after the cough had gotten worse overnight.

She was prescribed steroids and sent home, but died less than 12 hours later.

Mr Roap recalled trying desperately to resuscitate his child: “She stopped breathing at 8pm but we didn’t notice it straight away because she was asleep.

“I did CPR, I tried to resuscitate her but it didn’t work. Paramedics arrived and continued CPR, but it was too late.’

Mr Roap said the family were “completely devastated” and awaiting answers from the hospital.

The family believes that if she had been given antibiotics initially, she might have survived.

Hanna Roap, who attended Victoria Primary School in Penarth, Wales, died after contracting Strep A last month. Her family says she was “traumatized” by her death

Stella Lily McCorkindale

Five-year-old Stella-Lily McCokindale died after contracting Strep A, the first death from the infection in Northern Ireland.

She died at the Royal Belfast Hospital on December 5.

In a tribute on social media, her father Robert said the couple “loved every minute” they were together going on scooter and bike rides.

“If prayers, thoughts, feelings and love could have worked, she would have walked out of the hospital with her father’s hand,” he said.

Stella attended Black Mountain Primary School, which said she was “a bright and talented little girl” and described her death as a “tragic loss.”

Five-year-old Stella-Lily McCokindale, who attended Black Mountain Primary School in Belfast, died in early December after contracting Strep A

Jax Albert Jefferies

A five-year-old boy who died from Strep A was misdiagnosed with the flu, his family have claimed.

Jax Albert Jefferys of Waterlooville, Hampshire died on Thursday December 1st.

His grieving mother, Charlene, said today how she had sought medical advice three times in the four days before Jax’s death and was told he had influenza A. She described Jax as a “sassy little guy”.

But later testing revealed he did indeed have Stage A, she said, which is spreading quickly across the UK.

Jax Albert Jefferys, a five-year-old from Waterlooville, Hampshire, died of Strep A on Thursday December 1st

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk