An Irish doctor has urged parents to look out for specific symptoms of Strep A in their children as cases mount.
The illness, also known as scarlet fever, is generally mild, but a very small number of cases have led to hospitalisations in recent days and six children have died in Britain. The UK Health Security Agency issued a rare alert last week due to the rise in cases of the infection amongst children.
Dr Scott Walkin from the Irish College of GPs has said that while the illness usually causes little more than a sore throat, parents should be vigilant if their child presents with additional signs of the disease. Symptoms such as a persistent fever that doesn’t respond to paracetamol, drowsiness, floppiness of the limbs, reluctance to drink and an inability to pass urine all warrant calling a doctor.
