A five-year-old girl from Belfast has died after being admitted to hospital with a reported Strep A infection.
It's understood she became unwell last week and was taken to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, where she passed away on Monday night.
The young girl attended Black Mountain Primary School, where parents had been sent a letter last week saying one of the pupils had been diagnosed with a severe form of Strep A.
READ MORE: Symptoms as boy dies in wave of Strep A cases as Irish mum issues warning
In the UK, there has been a rise in the rare, invasive Group A strep this year, particularly in children under 10. The little girl's death has brought the reported Strep A death toll to nine.
Group A strep bacteria can cause many different infections, ranging from minor illnesses to deadly diseases. The range of illnesses includes the skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever and strep throat.
While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, Strep A infections can develop into a more serious invasive Group A Strep (iGAS) infection, though this is rare.
Strep A is a notifiable illness in Ireland. Clinical Lead in Infection Control with the Irish College of GPs Dr Scott Walkin told RTE that Group A Strep is quite a common infection.
He said that between 10% to 15% of people will have Strep A in their throats or the back of their noses and that does not cause any problems, however if Strep A "gets into the wrong place in the body" that "can be very troublesome".
Dr Walkin told RTE's Morning Ireland: "Then when it does cause difficulties, the commoner thing that it will do is it will cause a sore throat, but sometimes it can spread elsewhere and if it gets into the lungs, it can cause pneumonia or if it gets into the blood it can cause sepsis."
He said he has not seen a case of Strep A recently, but has seen cases of the more common version that causes a sore throat.
Meanwhile, parents are being encouraged to be aware of the signs and symptoms of Strep A.
Laura Rooney's five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with the nasty virus. She first noticed symptoms in September, but “the words Strep A were not mentioned”.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Ms. Rooney said: "She was having fever-like symptoms, persistent coughs, and a sore throat.
"She's just been so consistently unwell from it, we are on our fifth antibiotic from September and she's on steroids now as well."She has missed out on so much with school and the nursery and having to stay indoors, it has affected every part of our lives.
"My child has never been as consistently sick and she doesn't even look like herself now, that's how much it has affected her."
The Co Down mum then took her daughter Farrah to Daisy Hill A&E on November 8 when she realised that her condition was deteriorating further.
Straight away, doctors swabbed her throat and determined that there was in fact the presence of Strep A.
Once Farrah began to show signs of becoming very unwell again this week, Laura said she acted straight away and brought her into A&E.
"I didn't wait for a doctor's appointment yesterday, I knew my child was too sick so I went straight to A and E," she said.
"They have done an X ray on her right lung and they've found pneumonia.
"They have further swabbed to see if the Strep A is in her lungs, but we won't know until Monday.
"The plan for Farrah now is steroid treatment with re-evaluation on Sunday, then the results of the test will come on Monday."
Laura told her store in the hopes that her and Farrah's experience would encourage parents to act quickly if they think their child is unwell.
"What I really, really want to do is create the awareness of treatment early," she said.
"If sharing Farrah's story can help raise awareness or get mums and dads to bring their child to the doctor quicker, then that's what I would want.
"Farrah's rash has gone now, a rash is one of the warning signs as well for mums and dads to look out for, or even school teachers.
"I think at the moment there's a worry in schools that it could spread in classrooms.
"I'm just remaining strong and positive and hopeful that this will pass before Christmas."
What are the symptoms of Strep A?
Health officials say parents should contact the HSE or their GP 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
Parents are also advised 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
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