Related: Mother ‘terrified’ as daughter with Strep A infection fights for life
Emergency departments in NHS is observing a jump in young patients, as the death toll from invasive Strep A illness rose to 15.
The infection has hit the NHS during its busiest period time, with pharmacies struggling with localised shortages of antibiotics – leaving parents struggling to find medicine for their sick children.
NHS trust directors and doctors have warned of accidents and emergencies (A&Es) overflowing with children attending with winter viruses such as flu, RSV and now Strep A.
Group A strep bacteria can cause many different infections, ranging from minor illnesses to deadly diseases.
It comes as NHS England has sent a warning to healthcare leaders over the increased demand driven by Strep A concerns on Thursday with A&Es observing record delays as one-third of patients waited more than four hours to be seen, while NHS 111 services saw a spike in calls last weekend.
Experts have warned the NHS is “bursting at the seems” with staff demoralised at the standards of care.
Patients across England have faced record A&E delays as NHS performance against emergency targets slumps to a new low, new data shows.
