Leo Varadkar has said the Government is not currently contemplating any “Covid-type measures” to tackle Strep A.
The HSE confirmed on Wednesday that a four-year-old had died after contracting the bacterial infection. Schools and parents have been advised that children with a fever, cough or sore throat should stay at home in a bid to stop the spread after it was confirmed one child died as a result of the infection in the east of the country.
During the pandemic, pupils were placed in pods in classrooms in a bid to minimise mingling between groups. However, the Tanaiste confirmed to the Irish Mirror that these sorts of measures are not under consideration for Strep A.
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He added: “We’re not at the point where we’re contemplating any Covid-type measures. This is not a virus. It’s different. This is a bacterial infection.
“The number of cases thankfully so far is relatively low. But I do think one thing that Covid has taught all of us is a little bit more about how we manage infectious diseases.
“Some of the advice that applied to Covid is valid and certainly it is that if your child is sick, has a sore throat, is coughing, has a temperature, best to keep them out of school, monitor them closely and seek medical attention if you think they’re getting worse.”
Mr Varadkar said the Government is “very concerned” about Strep A. He stated that while the coalition is aware of penicillin shortages in the United Kingdom, they haven’t been alerted to any potential supply chain issues in the drug that is used to treat the bug.
He added: “It is a treatable illness.” The HSE sent a letter to schools on Wednesday evening warning that it has seen a “large increase in general viral infections among children and young people this winter”.
In previous years social contact was much reduced. This in turn reduced the rates of routine infection, the health service said. The HSE also advised that symptoms of a viral infection include a runny or blocked nose, a mild fever, a cough, tiredness and a rash.
To date in 2022, the HPSC has been notified of 55 cases in Ireland, 14 of them in children under 10 compared to 22 cases in children under 10 for the same period in 2019.
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