Authorities in the UK have confirmed that a total of 12 people have died following an outbreak of a rare bacterial infection in Essex.
According Metro.co.uk, at total of 32 people have been diagnosed with Group A streptococcus (iGAS).
It is believed that the bacteria which can be easily transferred from person to person as it lives on the throat and skin.
Although Public Health England, has said the outbreak is a localised incident, the number of fatalities could potentially rise as the bacteria can be transferred via sneezing, kissing and skin contact.
Medical professionals say the bacteria can become fatal if it gets into areas of the body where bacteria is rarely found such as the blood, muscle, or the lungs.
It is believed that most of those affected have been the elderly, they added an incident management team has been set up to deal with the outbreak.
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