Eight British children are now feared to have now died after contracting Strep A.
It was announced today that another child has passed away after being diagnosed with an invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) infection.
They attended Morelands Primary School in Waterlooville, Hampshire, the Mirror reports. The school said the loss had left pupils and family 'devastated'.
It comes after the deaths of Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, 4, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and Hanna Roap, 7, in Penarth, Wales.
A 12-year-old student from Lewisham, London has also died, their school confirmed today, while a six-year-old died in Ashford, Surrey in late November.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed last week that five children under the age of five have died in England after contracting Strep A in recent weeks, which would bring the total number of confirmed deaths of children to eight.
That number could change tomorrow as the UKHSA is expected to release more official data about the outbreak.
Following the unnamed Hampshire child's tragic passing, their school, friends and family have paid tribute.
Headteacher Alison Syred-Paul said in a statement: "Very tragically, we have learned of the death in recent days of a child who attended our school, who was also diagnosed with an invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) infection. We are absolutely devastated by the loss of one of our young pupils and offer our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the child's family at this extremely sad time."
He added: "We ask that the privacy of the family is respected. We are working closely with public health authorities to ensure that the family, our pupils and staff receive support.
"As a precaution, we have also been raising awareness amongst parents, carers and our school community of the signs and symptoms of Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) infections, and what to do if a child develops these, including invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) infection."
The child from Waterlooville, Hampshire, and a 12-year-old student from Lewisham are among the latest victims to have died from the rare infection.
In the past few weeks, 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.
GPs are said to be terrified of missing signs of Strep A infection in children after a spate of deaths.
Health chiefs have also gone to warn parents to look out for symptoms of the infection.
And according to the UKHSA, there has been more than a four-fold increase in the invasive disease since the pandemic.
Data shows 2.3 cases per 100,000 children aged one to four in England this year, rather than 0.5 from 2017 to 2019.
Meanwhile, the UKHSA has also said that local health protection teams should decide whether to advise parents to keep pupils off from schools with cases, but some parents have vowed to keep them at home anyway.
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