Health officials have confirmed the locations of eight serious Strep A cases - after it was linked to the deaths of six children in recent weeks.
Experts have called on parents to look out for signs of serious illness amid a wave of scarlet fever cases, particularly in younger children.
In extremely rare cases this can lead to the more serious invasive Group A Strep - also known as iGAS.
Figures from the UK Health Security Agency reveal there have been two instances of invasive group A streptococcal disease in London, with cases also confirmed in Oldham, Knowsley, Somerset, Hampshire and the Vale of Glamorgan.
The data shows that scarlet fever cases have rocketed by more than 670% this year in England and Wales compared to the same period in 2021.
The UK Health Security Agency urged parents to be on the lookout for warning signs that could turn into invasive Group A Streptococcal disease.
A four-year-old girl is on a ventilator at a hospital in Liverpool after being infected with the winter bug, as experts say the number of cases is higher than previous peaks.
In the last week Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, four, from High Wycombe, Hanna Roap, seven, from Penarth, Wales, a six-year-old child from Ashford in Surrey and a primary-school aged child from north Ealing, London have all died with Strep A infection.
Two other English children under 10 also died within seven days of being diagnosed, although the dates of their deaths are currently unknown.
Locations of the cases in the past week are:
- Croydon, London - 1
- Ealing, London - 1
- Knowsley, Merseyside - 1
- North Somerset - 1
- Oldham, Greater Manchester - 1
- Redcar and Cleveland - 1
- Rushmoor, Hampshire - 1
- The Vale of Glamorgan - 1
Experts believe that increased social mixing and the spread of winter bacteria is to blame, with no evidence of a new strain found.
Between July 4 and November 27 there were 9,772 confirmed cases of scarlet fever across the UK, latest UKHSA figures show.
This compares to just 530 during the same period in 2020 - when Covid restrictions were in place - and 1,255 in 2021.
More than 100 cases were detected in the North West, East Midlands, East of England, London, the South East and Wales in a week.
Here is a breakdown of the number of cases in each region:
England and Wales total - 861
North East total - 34
- Tyne and Wear - 8
- County Durham - 10
- Middlesbrough - 6
- Northumberland - 5
- Redcar and Cleveland - 5
North West total - 137
- Cumbria - 16
- Greater Manchester - 27
- Lancashire - 27
- Merseyside - 32
- Blackburn with Darwen - 4
- Blackpool - 3
- Cheshire East - 12
- Cheshire West and Chester - 8
- Halton - 8
- Warrington - 5
Yorkshire and the Humber total - 46
- South Yorkshire - 4
- West Yorkshire - 25
- North Yorkshire - 8
- Kingston upon Hull - 1
- North East Lincolnshire - 2
- North Lincolnshire - 2
- York - 4
East Midlands total - 124
- Derbyshire - 24
- Leicestershire - 22
- Lincolnshire - 16
- Northamptonshire - 17
- Nottinghamshire - 20
- Derby - 2
- Leicester - 16
- Nottingham - 6
- Rutland - 1
West Midlands total - 48
- West Midlands - 15
- Staffordshire - 8
- Warwickshire - 12
- Worcestershire - 6
- County of Herefordshire - 5
- Stoke-on-Trent - 2
East of England total - 128
- Cambridgeshire - 14
- Essex - 15
- Norfolk - 22
- Hertfordshire - 33
- Suffolk - 19
- Bedford - 3
- Central Bedfordshire - 5
- Luton - 2
- Milton Keynes - 8
- Peterborough - 3
- Thurrock - 4
London total - 103
- Inner London - 44
- Outer London - 59
South East total - 134
- Buckinghamshire - 5
- East Sussex - 7
- Hampshire - 25
- Kent - 9
- Oxfordshire - 11
- Surrey - 20
- West Sussex - 10
- Bracknell Forest - 1
- Isle of Wight - 22
- Newbury - 1
- Portsmouth - 5
- Reading - 1
- Slough - 4
- Southampton - 1
- West Berkshire - 2
South West total - 5
- Devon - 1
- Gloucestershire - 2
- Somerset - 1
- Bournemouth - 1
Wales total - 101
A four-year-old girl is on a ventilator at a hospital in Liverpool after being infected with the winter bug, as experts say the number of cases is higher than previous peaks.
Dad Dean Burns, whose daughter Camila is being treated for Strep A at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, said yesterday: "She's still nowhere near out of the woods, she's really, really poorly. 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 heartbreaking."
In the vast majority of cases, children will make a full recovery after a mild illness. Health chiefs encourage parents to contact their GP or call NHS 111 if:
- your child is getting worse
- your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
- your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
- your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38°C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39°C or higher
- your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
- your child is very tired or irritable
Experts advise parents to call 999 or go to A&E if:
- your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
- there are pauses when your child breathes
- your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
- your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake
