A Nottingham health leader says the city's parents have faced long waits on the NHS 111 service due to the "sheer volume" of calls around Strep A. Nottingham's director of public health says no cases of invasive Strep A, which has claimed the lives of nine UK children, have been recorded in the city.
But Dr Mark Simmonds, the Divisional Director for Medicine at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), says general Strep A admissions in the QMC emergency department are increasing. Group A streptococcus (GAS) is carried by many people in their throats and on their skin but the invasive group (iGAS) causes infections by getting into parts of the body such as the lungs.
Scarlet fever is also caused by this group of bacteria but this illness is mostly mild. The UK Health Security Agency also says an iGAS infection becoming fatal is "rare" but as cases continue to rise across the country, Dr Simmonds said: "There were long waits for parents getting a call back from the NHS 111 service last night (December 6) and if they are worried about their child and are facing a long wait, they will obviously bring them into the emergency department.
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"The long waits are just down to the sheer volume of calls and obviously Strep A concern has grown over recent days. Dealing with that in the emergency department is very tricky."
Lucy Hubber, Nottingham's Director of Public Health, said no cases of the invasive Strep A have been recorded in Nottingham. There are some cases more broadly in the East Midlands, with Government figures showing the rate per 100,000 people in the region is 0.8.
But Lucy Hubber said: "It's really important to say that we regularly carry around Strep A without ever noticing it and without ever presenting any symptoms of illness. Scarlet fever is the main Strep A illness and we have seen cases rising but we always expect a rise, it has just come earlier this year than expected.
"We usually expect to hit a peak in April as it grows throughout the winter before dying down as we get into the warmer months. But we have not reached the same level of cases that we have peaked at in the past and scarlet fever is very often a mild illness.
"Parents know their children best and they should absolutely be calling 999 if their child is having difficulties breathing or if their lips and skin are blue. But if they are more generally not themselves and are not eating or drinking as much, then parents should call NHS 111 and get advice.
"We have no cases of the invasive Strep A in Nottingham but obviously we have had nine children in the UK die from it and we have to treat that incredibly seriously. But parents should be reassured that this illness is usually mild and invasive Strep A is the same illness, it's just in the wrong place in the body."
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