A 12-year-old boy in England has become of the first secondary school pupil to die from Strep A in a wave of cases spreading across the UK.
At least six other children - all of primary school age - are also known to have died from the killer infection in recent months.
The boy was a student at private Colfe’s School in Lewisham, south east London, and was found to have contracted septicaemia caused by Group A streptococcus (GAS), which led to invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS).
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Strep A infections usually only causes mild symptoms but in some cases, people can become seriously ill.
This comes after an Irish mum issued a warning to parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of Strep A after her daughter was diagnosed with the nasty virus.
Laura Rooney revealed that she had first noticed symptoms in her five-year-old daughter back in September, but that “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."
The HSE describes Strep A as Group A Streptococcal Infection and says it is a bacterial infection usually found in the throat or skin.
However, the main issue with this bug is that it can go on to cause scarlet fever in some cases.
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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