Strep A has been confirmed at a number of Scottish schools yesterday. The NHS issued warnings after clusters were found at schools across Ayrshire, as Humza Yousaf said the number of infections in Scotland had increased.
Letters were sent to advise parents and guardians that children at their kids' schools were affected by Scarlet Fever and Chickenpox and offered advice. Scarlet fever is an infectious disease resulting from a group A streptococcus (group A strep) infection.
Symptoms include a sore throat, headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, followed by a fine red rash on the chest and stomach. The rash spreads quickly to other parts of the body and feels like sandpaper, while the face can be flushed red but pale around the mouth. The more serious symptoms are high fever, severe muscle aches and muscle pain, increased pain, swelling or redness near a wound and unexplained diarrhoea or vomiting.
Yesterday's letters were issued just hours after it emerged five-year-old Stella-Lily McCorkindale had passed away in Belfast. She is the ninth child to have died in the UK since September, with seven children in England and one in Wales passing away due to complications from Strep A bacterial infections. Speaking at Holyrood yesterday, the Health Secretary said there had been no deaths from the condition in Scotland.
A letter issued to parents and guardians of children at a school in North Ayrshire yesterday, which has been seen by the Daily Record, reads: "We have been informed that a small number of children who attend [your child's school] have been diagnosed with scarlet fever and or chickenpox.
"Although scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, it should be treated with antibiotics to minimise the risk of complications and reduce the spread to others. In very rare cases, for example when the chickenpox infection is also present, Group A streptococcal infection can be more serious and cause more severe and even life-threatening diseases known as invasive Group A Streptococcus.
"Although the risk is low, it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms."
NHS Ayrshire and Arran issued a statement by Director of Public Health Lynne McNiven confirming there were also a number of clusters in South Ayrshire She said: "As a precaution, we have written to parents and carers of children who attend these schools with information about the symptoms, and what to do if they develop symptoms.
"There have been increased numbers of scarlet fever cases across Scotland in recent weeks and so we are asking parents and guardians to be vigilant of the symptoms and to help stop the spread." A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said schools would be "open as normal" despite the outbreaks. But parents have been left worried by the news and possible implications.
A North Ayrshire-based parent said: "We're being told that complications are extremely rare but that's a number of children who have passed away in the last few weeks and it's obviously a big concern. It's heartbreaking to hear what has happened to other families and everyone is hoping for the best. One worry for us is how the kids' immune systems have been affected after they both had Covid-19. Touch wood everyone will be okay."
Three of the children who have passed away after contracting the condition have been named. Stella-Lily McCorkindale, of Belfast, passed away on Monday. Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, four, died at his home in High Wycombe on November 14 after suffering a cardiac arrest. And seven-year-old Hanna Roap, from Penarth, south Wales, lost her life on November 25.
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