A second child in Ireland is confirmed to have died of Strep A infection as fears mount over the bacterial infection that has claimed the lives of 19 children UK in recent months.
This comes after the HSE confirmed the death of a four-year-old child in Dublin from an invasive form of Strep A last week.
The second death as a result of Strep A occurred earlier this year was not reported on at the time, according to The Sun.
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Dr Eamonn O'Moore, director of the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said at a media briefing yesterday: "There are two paediatric cases, one of which I think had a lot of media coverage in the past week or so.
"The second case actually represents a historic case. It’s from an earlier period in the year.
"We, as a result of the work we do all the time, from the quality assurance of our surveillance systems, continuously check our data and information flows and so this second reported case represents a case from an earlier part of the year."
In its latest update, on December 7, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre revealed it had so far been notified of 56 invasive Strep A cases in Ireland - 15 of which were in children aged under 10.
This comes after Irish doctors recently issued concerns about a shortage of penicillin which is used as a treatment for Strep A infection.
Dr Scott Walkin, the lead in infection control in the Irish College of General Practitioners, told the Independent that penicillin works best against the bacterial infection. He also warned about the supply of another alternative medicine to fight the infection as well.
The HSE last week issued guidance to schools and parents, pinpointing the key symptoms of infection to look out for.
New advice asks parents to be vigilant to the known symptoms and to act quickly if a child is seriously unwell, and is showing signs of their condition worsening.
"As a parent, if you feel that your child is seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement," the HSE advice states.
Symptoms of Strep A
The symptoms of Strep A include a sore throat, a a runny or blocked nose, a headache, a mild fever, nausea and vomiting followed by a fine red rash which spreads quickly.
The more serious symptoms are high fever, severe muscle aches and muscle pain, swelling or redness near a wound and unexplained diarrhoea or vomiting.
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