Strep A

Nobody knows for sure why more children than usual have died due to the group A streptococcus bacterium this year, but increased mixing and viral infections ...

Strep A-related deaths in children are rare in the UK, but there was a similar outbreak before. [to kill 150,000 people a year globally](https://savac.ivi.int/factsNfindings). Invasive strep A is more common in people over 75 than in children. [group A streptococcus, or Streptococcus pyogenes](https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/streptococcal-infections/group-a-streptococcal-infections/), that is common worldwide. Scarlet fever is most common in young children, but people can develop strep A complications at any age. [blood](/definition/blood/#:~:text=Blood%20is%20pumped%20around%20the,being%20developed%20for%20medical%20purposes.) and cause extremely severe infections, known as invasive group A streptococcus disease, or iGAS, which was responsible for the eight children’s deaths. The most common symptom is a very sore throat, known as strep throat. Treating strep throat and scarlet fever with antibiotics lowers the already very low risk of invasive illness. [Rheumatic heart disease](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/rheumatic-heart-disease#:~:text=Key%20points-,Rheumatic%20heart%20disease%20is%20a%20condition%20in%20which%20the%20heart,a%20person%20at%20increased%20risk.) is rare in higher-income countries where strep A infections are treated with antibiotics, but remains common in low-income nations. Another [300,000 a year die from rheumatic heart disease](https://arthritis-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13075-022-02829-3), caused by strep A triggering an autoimmune reaction that damages the [heart](/article-topic/heart/). [produces nine times as much toxin](https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30446-3) as other strains has been circulating in the UK since 2014, and might be responsible for the increases in scarlet fever and invasive strep A disease seen since that year. In the UK, eight children are reported to have died as a result of rare but severe complications of the infection strep A since September.

Parents of the youngest pupils at Black Mountain Primary School received a letter from the Public Health Agency on Friday to tell them a pupil had been ...

If any of those develop in an adult or a child, we’re encouraging them to speak to their doctor for further advice.” We’re just praying for the child that he will be fine.” Last week, the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland urged parents and carers to be aware of scarlet fever symptoms after an increase in the number of cases at schools and nurseries across the region. Symptoms of scarlet fever include sore throat, headache and fever, along with a fine, pinkish or red body rash with a “sandpapery” feel. “We are keen to communicate to parents and schools what to watch out for for scarlet fever, that is, a sore throat, a high fever – a temperature above 38 degrees – or the appearance of a red raised rash on the skin, sandpapery or leathery feel to it. On Tuesday morning, the school spoke of its “tragic loss” and said “the thoughts of the entire school are with the pupil’s family and friends at this difficult time”.

Group A Streptococcus is a bacteria usually found in the mouth or on the skin that can cause strep throat and scarlet fever, as well as skin infections. In some ...

A British vaccine expert has said the world 'desperately needs' a jab that can beat Strep A as reports emerge that the normally mild bacterial infection has ...

The number serious infections from Strep A in England for this time year (thin green line) is far higher than pre-pandemic seasons. One of the most common is the whooping cough jab, designed to protect against the disease caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. The current number of total cases is also much higher than the peaks of every year except 2017/18 (thin blue line). This map shows the rates of invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS), a serious form of Strep A infection in England's regions. This was linked to trial of a jab that allegedly gave two children rheumatic fever, though this is disputed by some experts. 'There is a desperate need to make a vaccine against this bug. [What are the symptoms of strep A? Five-year-old Stella-Lily McCokindale is the ninth British child to have died following a Strep A infection, and the first in Northern Ireland. The 'bubbly' and 'beautiful' seven-year-old is the only child to have died from Strep A in Wales so far. Everything you need to know about the killer bug sweeping Britain](/health/article-11494709/What-Strep-symptoms-does-infection-spread.html) The stall in jab development has been partly attributed to a ban on human trials of Strep A vaccines in 1979 in the US. One of the Government's top vaccine advisors says a Strep A vaccine is desperately needed as the UK records the ninth death of a child from the bacterial infection

Nine children are confirmed to have died from Strep A in recent weeks, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed there has been an increase in ...

Symptoms of Strep A are usually mild, though an invasive form of the bacterial infection called iGAS has led to deaths of young children in Britain.

Joanne Jones, from Llandudno, said her eight-year-old daughter Jasmine started feeling unwell, which she initially mistook for a chest infection.

- On more darkly pigmented skin, the scarlet rash may be harder to spot, but it should feel like ‘sandpaper’. These children will go on to develop scarlet fever-specific symptoms, including a fine pink-red rash that feels like sandpaper to touch, and parents should contact their GP. Older children may not have the rash “She would go bright red, and it felt like I was holding a hot water bottle from the heat coming off her face, back, and chest. Strep A can also cause other types of infections, including throat, chest, and skin infections. “She was leaning into me, falling asleep on the street. “Her temp was 39.3 degrees. Public Health Wales says the complication, known as iGAS, is an invasive infection but rare. If it’s left, it’s life-threatening. She added: “It’s not good enough. “My daughter started off with a cough, which got worse,” she said. Then it turned into some kind of sickness bug, so I thought she had one of those 24-hour things.

To date, at least nine children have died from complications caused by the Strep A infection.

Now, sometimes GPs can have particular surges if they’ve got a lot of demand in an area, and that’s quite routine … “They’re under a duty to notify us if there are supply shortages. “The medical suppliers are required to notify us if they’ve got shortages.