An eighth child is now believed to have died after contracting an invasive form of Strep A bacteria.
The headteacher of a primary school in Hampshire reportedly said that staff are "absolutely devastated" by the loss of one of their pupils who died with the infection. The school has said that it is working to raise awareness among parents and carers in its community of the symptoms of Strep A following the sad news.
It comes after a high school year eight pupil in London became the seventh child to die with Strep A since September. Last week, a six-year-old died after an outbreak of the infection at a school in Surrey, while a pupil from Victoria primary school in Penarth, near Cardiff, also died with the illness.
READ MORE: Downing Street urges parents to be 'on the lookout' for Strep A symptoms as cases rise
Health officials previously confirmed that a child from St John’s School in Ealing, West London, had died with Strep A, while the parents of a four-year-old boy from Buckinghamshire also confirmed he had died from an invasive form of the infection. The UKHSA has confirmed that it is investigating reports of a rise in severe illnesses in children caused by Strep A bacteria.
Alison Syred-Paul, the headteacher of Morelands Primary School where the eighth child was a pupil, told the BBC : "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. We ask that the privacy of the family is respected.
"As a precaution, we have been raising awareness amongst parents, carers and our school community of the signs and symptoms... and what to do if a child develops these."
Group A Strep bacteria can cause a range of both minor and serious ailments, from the skin infection impetigo to scarlet fever and strep throat. Although the vast majority of infections are relatively mild and can be cured with antibiotics, in rare cases the bacteria can cause a life-threatening illness called invasive Group A Streptococcal disease if it gets into the bloodstream.
According to UKHSA data, there were 2.3 cases of invasive Group A Strep disease per 100,000 children aged one to four this year in England, compared with an average of 0.5 in the pre-pandemic seasons of 2017 to 2019. There have also been 1.1 cases per 100,000 children aged five to nine, compared with the pre-pandemic average of 0.3.
The last time that such an intensive period of Strep A infection was seen in England was in 2017/18, when there were four deaths within the same time frame. Cases of Scarlet Fever have also risen sharply in recent weeks, with 851 cases reported in the week November 14 to 20 compared to an average of 186 for the same timeframe in previous years.
Parents have been advised to contact NHS 111 or their GP if their child is getting worse, is feeding or eating much less than normal, or has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration. They should also seek help if their baby is under three months and has a temperature of 38C, or is older than three months and has a temperature of 39C or higher.
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