A 12-year-old boy has become the first secondary school pupil to die from Strep A as the killer infection spreads across Britain.
The Year 8 student at private Colfe’s School in Lewisham, south east London, was found to have contracted septicaemia caused by Group A streptococcus (GAS), which led to invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS).
Another child from the same school is understood to be in hospital.
At least six other children - all of primary school age - are known to have died from the illness which usually only causes mild symptoms.
Health chiefs yesterday warned parents to keep a close eye for symptoms and act quickly after confirming the locations of eight serious Strep A cases.
The outbreak comes off the back of children having spent months in lockdown during the Covid pandemic, which could have lowered their immunity to infections.
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In a letter to parents at £15,000-a-year Colfe’s School - seen by the Sun - headmaster Richard Russell said the unnamed pupil's death was a "huge shock".
However, he reassured parents the risk to other children remains low, with the school having taken advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
He said: “Blood tests identified the student had blood poisoning (septicaemia) caused by Group A streptococcus (GAS), which led to invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS).
“The GAS bacterium is very common and usually causes mild illness such as scarlet fever, which can be treated with antibiotics.
"However, in very rare circumstances it can be complicated by other infections and get into the bloodstream — becoming invasive and causing blood poisoning.”
A four-year-old girl is on a ventilator at a hospital in Liverpool after being infected with the winter bug, as experts say the number of cases is higher than previous peaks.
In the last week Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, four, from High Wycombe, Hanna Roap, seven, from Penarth, Wales, a six-year-old child from Ashford in Surrey and a primary-school aged child from north Ealing, London have all died with Strep A infection.
Two other English children under 10 also died within seven days of being diagnosed, although the dates of their deaths are currently unknown.
Dad Dean Burns, whose daughter Camila is being treated for Strep A at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, said yesterday: "She's still nowhere near out of the woods, she's really, really poorly. When we got here Monday, they said she's the poorliest girl in the whole of England.
"To go from dancing on Friday night with her friends, to a little bit under the weather on Saturday and then a bit more bad on Sunday, she's basically not the same girl any more. It's heartbreaking."
Figures from the UKHSA reveal there have been two instances of invasive group A streptococcal disease in London, with cases also confirmed in Oldham, Knowsley, Somerset, Hampshire and the Vale of Glamorgan.
The data shows that scarlet fever cases have rocketed by more than 670% this year in England and Wales compared to the same period in 2021.
In the vast majority of cases, children will make a full recovery after a mild illness. Health chiefs encourage parents to contact their GP or call NHS 111 if:
- your child is getting worse
- your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
- your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
- your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38°C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39°C or higher
- your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
- your child is very tired or irritable
Experts advise parents to call 999 or go to A&E if:
- your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
- there are pauses when your child breathes
- your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
- your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake
