The grieving father of a “bright and talented” girl who died after contracting a Strep A bacterial infection has paid tribute his daughter.
Five-year-old Stella-Lily McCorkindale, from Belfast, is the ninth child to die in the UK’s recent outbreak.
Her father Robert described her on Tuesday as a “princess”, lamenting that if “prayers, thoughts, feelings and love could have worked she would have walked out of that hospital holding her daddy’s hand”.
“We loved every minute together”, he wrote on Facebook.
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At least nine children have died in the UK following an infection in recent weeks, including seven-year-old Hanna Roap from Wales and four-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ali from Buckinghamshire.
Ireland is also investigating another death of a child for a possible link to a Strep A infection.
The bacteria usually only causes mild illness, but there has been an increase in cases of serious invasive disease this season.
Black Mountain Primary School in Belfast had earlier confirmed the death of a pupil in its P2 year group, where children are usually aged between five and six.
On Tuesday afternoon, staff at the primary paid tribute to pupil Stella-Lilly, saying in a statement: “The thoughts of the entire school are with Stella-Lily’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time.
“Stella-Lily was a very bright and talented little girl, and very popular with both staff and children, and will be greatly missed by everyone at school.
“To assist in supporting our pupils and staff at this sad time, additional trained staff from the Education Authority critical incident response team have been engaged and will be providing support to the school.
“We recognise that this news may cause worry amongst our school community and we want to reassure parents that we continue to work closely with the Public Health Agency at this time.”
Writing on social media, Stella-Lily’s aunt, Cheryl McCorkindale, said: “She was a beautiful, sweet, loving and funny little girl who fought so hard to stay with us, she was too good for this world.
“Our family will never be the same again. Cannot believe I won’t see her smile again or hear her shout at me for picking on her daddy – her best mate.”
Parents of the youngest pupils at the school received a letter from the Public Health Agency on Friday to tell them a pupil had been diagnosed with a severe form of Strep A.
In Co Down, two children were also admitted to hospital, a primary school principal said.
Michael Peacock, head of Brackenagh West Primary School, close to Kilkeel, said one child from his school remained in hospital on Tuesday. He said 34 children out of 48 were off school that day.
Strep A usually causes a mild infection leading to sore throats or scarlet fever which can easily be treated with antibiotics.
However, in rare cases, it can get into the bloodstream and turn into a potentially life-threatening illness called invasive Group A Strep (iGAS) disease.
The Public Health Agency said there were 122 cases of scarlet fever across Northern Ireland in November. This was described as unusual as scarlet fever usually strikes in the spring. In the previous two Novembers, there was 13 and two cases respectively.
The number of cases of invasive group A strep (iGAS) which is the most severe and unusual form of infection – is 33 so far in 2022, compared to 55 in 2018 and 72 in 2019.
In England, health authorities say the number of both scarlet fever and iGAS infections are higher than usual for this time of year.
They have urged parents to talk to a health professional if their child shows signs of deteriorating after a bout of scarlet fever, a sore throat, or a respiratory infection.
After the death of a child in Northern Ireland, Dr Joanne McClean from its Public Health Agency said: “Scarlet fever usually clears up after about a week, but anyone who thinks they or a child may have it should contact a GP for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
“To limit the spread of scarlet fever it is also important to practise good hygiene by washing hands with warm water and soap, not sharing drinking glasses or utensils, and covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
The director of public health added: “People should also stay away from nursery, school or work for 24 hours after taking the first dose of antibiotics.
“The PHA has issued an urgent message to all primary and secondary care healthcare providers alerting them to increases in group A streptococcal infection. Acting quickly if you suspect anyone has this infection could make a difference to the outcomes.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
