A three-year-old girl made a miracle recovery after spending three weeks fighting for her life in hospital with deadly Strep A.
Rosa Carter’s parents Shelley and Alex were preparing for the worst as she also battled sepsis and blood clots caused by an invasive form of the virus. But now she’s back home safe for Christmas, they’ve praised the NHS for saving her life.
After getting her home on Friday, mum Shelley said: “She’s an absolute miracle, as are the doctors and nurses who treated her, and our hearts could not be fuller tonight.” Rosa, from Edinburgh, was admitted to the city’s Royal Hospital For Children And Young People last month after being rushed to A&E with pains in her leg.
But within 48 hours, the toddler was transferred to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit and placed on a ventilator. Rosa, who has Down’s syndrome, also underwent dialysis and was treated with medication to combat sepsis as well as blood clots in her leg and lung.
Shelley, 42, added: “After just over three weeks in hospital, we’re home. When we arrived at A&E, we thought we were just dealing with a sore leg but 48 hours later she was in ICU on a ventilator, dialysis and a host of drugs to fight sepsis, blood clots in her leg, lung and concerns about her heart, all caused by an invasive Group A Strep infection.”
Group A Strep bacteria can cause many different infections, ranging from minor illnesses to deadly diseases and has killed at least 19 children in the UK since September. Illnesses include the skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever and strep throat.
While the majority of infections are relatively mild, sometimes the bacteria cause a life-threatening illness called invasive group A streptococcal disease. Mum-of-two Shelley, who works for a Scottish charity, also said Rosa will require ongoing treatment and rehabilitation.
Updating friends on social media, she added: “She’ll need some ongoing treatment, rehabilitation and check-ups but she’s home.” While hundreds of cases have been recorded in Scotland, no deaths have occurred due to the disease.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows 16 children under the age of 18 have died in England. Three other deaths of children have been recorded in Belfast and Wales.
Strep A infections such as scarlet fever and impetigo are treated with antibiotics, with penicillin among the most commonly used. Last week the Scottish Government issued a supply alert notice for the antibiotics used to treat Strep A after a surge in cases.
Demand for penicillin has risen recently as it is used to treat Strep A and scarlet fever. The increased demand means some pharmacists are experiencing temporary and localised supply issues.
As a result, pharmacists may not have the specific formulation listed on the prescription and are being urged to consider alternative antibiotics. The public has been advised to be alert for symptoms of illnesses caused by Group A streptococcus and contact their GP or out-of-hours doctor to help stop an infection becoming serious.
Scarlet fever symptoms are often flu-like, including a high temperature, a sore throat and swollen neck glands. A rash appears 12 to 48 hours later, starting on the chest and stomach and then spreading.
A white coating also appears on the tongue which peels, leaving the tongue red, swollen and covered in little bumps (often called “strawberry tongue”). The UK Health Security Agency has said there is no current evidence that a new strain is circulating and the rise in cases is most likely due to high amounts of circulating bacteria and increased social mixing.
It said that, since September, there have been 7750 notifications of scarlet fever – more than three times the number in the last high season in 2017/18. There have been 111 invasive group A strep cases in children aged one to four and 74 cases in children aged five to nine.
Since September, 74 people of all ages have died in England. Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UKHSA, said the majority of children affected have a mild illness and that an “open mind” is being kept as to why there is a spike in infections.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “The latest with scarlet fever and Strep A infections are that we’ve seen about just over 7500 notifications of scarlet fever and that’s probably an underestimate. We have a lot of reports coming in the last few days so we expect it to be even higher.
"That’s about three times higher than the same time in a normal season. The last bad season we had was in 2017 and 18.
"“And in invasive Group A Strep cases, we are more than halfway through what we’d normally see in an average season. We’ve seen 111 cases in children aged one to four and 74 cases in children aged five to nine.”
Invasive Group A Strep (iGAS) is the most severe and unusual form of infection. She said those numbers at the severe end are small, adding: “The majority of children have a self-limiting or mild illness and are being managed very well.”
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