Family, friends and kind-hearted strangers are rallying round a four-year-old girl said to be fighting for her life in hospital after contracting Strep A.
A huge fundraising campaign has been launched to support the family of Camila Rose Burns, from Bolton, as public health bosses investigate the recent deaths of six young children and a worrying rise in cases.
Camila is on a ventilator at Alder Hey Children's Hospital and as reported in the Manchester Evening News her dad, Dean Burns, said hospital staff described her as 'the poorliest girl in the whole of England'. Dean said he has been 'living in an absolute nightmare' since her condition worsened last weekend.
The appeal on fundraising platform GoFundMe was launched by Camila's aunt, Laura Daniels, and has reached almost £8,000. She said Camila's parents, Dean and Kaye, 'will not be leaving her side' and as a result, 'no income is coming into the house'.
Writing on GoFundMe, she said: "As you may have seen in the news, my niece is currently fighting for her life in Alder Hey Children's hospital after becoming infected with Group A Streptococcus which has also led to other complications.
"Dean and Kaye understandably have not and will not leave Camila's side during this absolutely heart-breaking situation. Due to this, there will be no income coming into the home. After many people have asked, I have decided to set up this page to help them with one less thing to worry about during this nightmare. We all pray for Camila and are with Dean and Kaye every step of the way."
Laura reported today - Sunday - no change in Camilla's condition. She told the Manchester Evening News : "We are absolutely overwhelmed with the donations so far and this now means Dean and Kaye do not need to think about work and finances while they remain at Camila's side 24/7.
"Camila has a sister Florence, aged five and brother, Alfie, aged 15, at home whose worlds have turned upside down. As a family we are also doing everything we can for them. We are praying Camila can fight this, but it's a very long road ahead.
"Alder Hey Children’s Hospital are outstanding and we are incredibly thankful for their care and support. Dean and Kaye would like to thank every single person for their prayers, care and love at this heartbreaking time. Hopefully we will have an update for everyone next week."
Dean said Camila went from dancing on Friday night last week with her friends to feeling 'a little bit under the weather on Saturday' and needing emergency care on Monday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there has been a rise in rare invasive Group A strep this year, particularly in children under 10, with five deaths of under-10s in England since September. A separate case has been reported in Wales, taking the known UK total to six.
Dean told Sky News: "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 heart-breaking."
There was a sickness bug going around Camila’s school and she complained about her chest hurting, he added.
Camila was taken to hospital last Saturday where she was prescribed an inhaler and told she could go home – but her health deteriorated a day later. Dean said: "She just completely changed. She was restless."
After being taken back to hospital, Camila needed life-saving intervention. Dean said: "We shouted some nurses down and we had to leave the room. They put her to sleep and she’s been on a ventilator ever since, keeping her alive. It's the worst thing that can ever happen to anybody."
Group A strep bacteria can cause many different infections, ranging from minor illnesses to deadly diseases. Illnesses include the skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever and strep throat.
While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, sometimes the bacteria causes a life-threatening illness called invasive Group A Streptococcal disease. According to UKHSA data, there have been 2.3 cases of invasive 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 (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 (2017 to 2019). When looking at the five deaths in England, the last time there was an intensive period of Strep A infection was in 2017/18, when there were four deaths in the equivalent time frame.
The UKHSA said investigations are also under way following reports of an increase in lower respiratory tract Group A Strep infections in children over the past few weeks, which have caused severe illness.
It said there is no evidence a new strain is circulating and the rises are most likely due to high amounts of circulating bacteria and social mixing.
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