Parents are urged to look for signs in their children of Strep A – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Parents are urged to look for signs in their children of Strep A




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The chief medical officer has urged parents to be extra vigilant after the death of a four-year-old boy has been linked to a rare form of Strep A bacterial infection.

The boy’s death was reported in the north east/north Dublin region and health officials confirmed they were investigating whether Strep A was a contributing factor, following a series of similar deaths in the UK.

In the north, a five-year-old girl also died of a severe form of the disease.

Strep A infections are usually mild and can lead to strep throat or scarlet fever, which can be easily treated with antibiotics.

However, in rare cases, it can develop into a more serious infection known as invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS), which can cause life-threatening sepsis, shock, or meningitis.

So far this year, 55 cases of Strep A have been reported in Ireland, of which 21 have been reported since the beginning of October, including four children under 10 years of age.

Chief Medical Officer Breda Smyth moved to ease concerns, saying: “I know parents are concerned by reports of Strep A cases, but the levels we’re seeing are lower than pre-pandemic levels. Most Strep A illnesses in children are mild,” said Prof Smyth. “If you feel your child is seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement and seek medical attention. Washing hands and good respiratory etiquette help prevent the transmission of the infection to others,” reports Irish Examiner.

HSE National Director of Health Protection Eamonn O’Moore confirmed that an inquest was underway into the four-year-old’s death.

“As far as we understand it, among a number of other conditions that are being considered as contributory factors, there may be a consideration of that invasive Group A streptococcal infection,” said Dr O’Moore, reports Irish Examiner.

Dr. O’Moore confirmed that two other deaths were associated with the disease, both in the elderly.

Primary care doctors have urged parents not to rely solely on a child’s temperature, but to look for a combination of fever, sore throat and a sandpaper-like rash.

The medical director of SouthDoc, Cork and Kerry’s out-of-hours medical service, Gary Stack, has urged parents to familiarize themselves with the difference between scarlet fever and other viruses.

“It’s a sore throat, accompanied by fever, and you would expect to see a rash. It is a red rash, and there are tiny bumps on it, like sandpaper,” said Dr Stack, reports Irish Examiner.

He said that winter was already proving to be a great challenge for health services.

He warned that SouthDoc clinics are already “overwhelmed.”

He estimated that in the last three weeks around 90% of the cases were respiratory diseases.

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