Scarlet fever and Strep A cases among kids have increased throughout England and Northern Ireland, prompting a caution to parents to be mindful of the symptoms.
The Public Health Agency said (per Irish Examiner) that schools and nurseries in Antrim, Belfast, Bangor, and Craigavon have reported clusters of cases.
The surge is higher than what is typical for the winter, it was added. It comes after two years of the pandemic's fewer cases.
A picture taken on November 24, 2019, shows an ambulance parked outside the Emergency Hospital in the UMC Utrecht (UMCU), in Utrecht, The Netherlands, where a second Dutch doctor, who worked in Sierra Leone, has been transferred as he contracted the Lassa virus. - A Dutch doctor who contracted Lassa hemorrhagic fever in Sierra Leone after treating patients died on November 23, 2019, in the hospital, while a second doctor is undergoing treatment, the top Dutch health official said on November 24, 2019.
Scarlett Fever Explained
NHS Inform said that children are the primary victims of the bacterial sickness known as scarlet fever. A characteristic pink-red rash is a result.
Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria also referred to as group A streptococcus, are present in the throat and on the skin and are what cause the infection.
Scarlet fever is now considerably less frequent than it formerly was, but several sizable outbreaks have occurred in recent years.
For instance, records provided by Public Health England show that between September 2013 and March 2014, there were 2,830 cases of scarlet fever. 5,746 occurrences in total were reported over the same time period in 2014-15. The abrupt spike is surrounded by uncertainty.
According to the most recent data obtained by Indy100, 851 cases of scarlet fever were reported during the week of November 14-20, compared to an average of 186 cases during the years before.
Following a devastating virus outbreak, The Northern Echo said one primary school student died, and another was hospitalized nationwide.
Although health officials believe the bacterium outbreak is under control and unrelated to other incidents, the recent death in west London has prompted calls for an investigation, according to the Daily Mail.
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UKHSA Said About Strep A
Health officials announced on Friday that six children, including five under 10-year-olds in England and a girl from Wales, had passed away since September due to invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS), a rare type of Strep A.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, no fatalities have been reported.
According to public health officials, there is currently no proof that a new strain is in circulation. They claimed that increasing social mixing and high levels of circulating germs were most likely to blame for the spike in cases and fatalities.
According to virologist Dr. Chris Smith, a decline in immunity following the pandemic may be to blame for the general increase in Strep A infections.
"There's something about the vulnerability of the population, and particularly younger people," he said on BBC Breakfast.
What has changed is that younger people have spent almost three years apart from one another.
Strep A Symptoms
Fever, a sore throat, and mild skin infections are symptoms. Rarely, it can develop into a serious sickness with high temperature, excruciating muscle aches, localized discomfort, and inexplicable vomiting or diarrhea.
Infections like impetigo, strep throat, and scarlet fever can all be brought on by it.
Most patients can be successfully treated with antibiotics and fully recover.
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