Worried about Strep A outbreak

[Beebz]

It has now been reported that a second primary aged child has now tragically died from Strep A (iGAS). This is so shocking and how completely devastating for their families, I literally cannot even imagine the hell they are going through.

Is this something new or does this happen to children in this country every year? I don't remember hearing anything like this about strep/scarlet fever in the news before? How likely is it for primary aged children to become this ill from it? Is there anything we can do to protect our DC's from contracting it? This seems incredibly serious.

I've given him calpol and to be honest, I've given him 1 dose of his brothers antibiotics to tide him over till the morning

Please please don’t do this. If your youngest now doesn’t get prescribed antibiotics so you can switch the meds about then both your kids will have taken an incomplete course, which is exactly what contributes to antibiotic resistance. I know everyone is worried about Strep but antibiotic resistance is far, far scarier.
Ear ache is incredibly common in colds and not specifically a symptom of Strep.

Our school had an "outbreak" of SF about 4 weeks ago. Letters sent from UKHSA to all parents about what to look for. No parent I know have kept their children off school. An outbreak is 2 or more people officially. So could have been 2 members of the school community or 20. No one knows. I also don't know anyone else at school who have caught SF since the letter came out. Keeping children off school will do more harm than good to them, Strep A and SF are not going anywhere, you would end up keeping them off for months.

He has an ear infection most likely. Not Strep A or SF. Giving antibiotics to a child who has not been diagnosed by a medical professional and leaving your other child a dose short is just ridiculous and the height of stupidity.

@ofwarren please please don’t do things like this. I know it’s a really stressful time at the moment and everyone’s doing their best. But they predict antibiotics will be obsolete by 2050 if people continue to use them irresponsibly like this.
my dd is on antibiotics for strep at the moment, and it took a lot more than one dose to help her get better. She started to improve after the first dose, but she’s on her third day of antibiotics now and still not quite herself. She has a five day course, which is has to take 3x a day.
Also I haven’t read anywhere that ear ache is a symptom - a flushed face, high temp, sandpaper rash, a white film and Red dots on the tongue, very floppy and lethargic and vomiting are the symptoms. There are lots of things going round at the moment, it would probably be best to take him to an emergency doctors appointment today and explain what you’ve done with the antibiotics and let him be checked over. He may need antibiotics, in which case the Doctor will prescribe them - apparently they’ve been warned to prescribe antibiotics immediately to any child with strep symptoms.

@ofwarren

Yep. I am actually allergic to
Penicillin as is dd so we are very aware of only using antibiotics to save a life.

Soon we won't have any left that work due to resistance and all our grandkids will be in the firing line.

As usual no real
Money is being put into the discovery of new ones

The future looks bleak for our kids kids. No antis and climate change. Well done 21st century.

Only take antibiotics if you really need them. They aren’t great for our longer term health either. It’s a scary issue but taking antibiotics prophylactically is a step too far IMHO

Snap - except I was in hospital anyway for complications. Step A got in there and in my case it took 6 hours though taking the baby out helped me fight the infection so HDU for me. No symptoms either.
To be honest sepsis frightens me - if I had been at home once the pain stage weakened all I wanted to do was sleep. Had I done that - everything would have shut down.
I've had sepsis again and didn't spot that coming either. I really don't want it a third time.

Our school had an "outbreak" of SF about 4 weeks ago. Letters sent from UKHSA to all parents about what to look for. No parent I know have kept their children off school. An outbreak is 2 or more people officially. So could have been 2 members of the school community or 20. No one knows.

Oh dear, in that case we're possibly about to be patient zero for an outbreak at our school - I'm 99% sure DD2 has SF (she's had a sore throat for days and now has come out in a typical rash) and I've kept DD1 off as last night she was complaining about a sore throat and this morning her tongue has started to look a bit pitted. We've got a dr appt in half an hour. They are both perfectly well in themselves; DD2 has been a bit sad because of her throat over the weekend, so we'll get antibiotics down them and send them back in 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm so sorry, its absolutely awful isn't it?

I don't think I've been the same since it happened to me, never have I been more aware of my own mortality. Whenever me, DH or DC have temperatures sepsis is the first thing I think of and worry about.

There's alot of talk about looking out for symptoms but as we know too well sometimes there isn't any at all.

I hope you're OK and coping with all of this being in the news.

@Garysmum this sounds so traumatic and scary. I’m so sorry you went through that.
do you mind me asking if both sepsis cases were caused by strep? and if so how far apart they happened.
completely understand if you don’t feel like giving more info though.

@user1466068383 Just the first one - they were a few months apart.

Thank you!

It isn't right to be forced into sending our DCs into school with a potentially fatal bacterial outbreak going around when there aren't enough antibiotics to treat them. It isn't fair, it isn't right, it is absurd. I do not believe Barclay is telling the truth about there being enough antibiotics at all.

No one is forcing your child into school! Take them off roll at the school and home educate them if you feel so strongly about it. This bug has been around for centuries. It is not a new bug. This is being blown all out of proportion.

Not going to get into that debate @OhhhhhhhhBiscuits , I had to have it enough as a CV parent during Covid and I really can't be arsed to have it even once more.

All bacterial infections are potentially fatal.

Sorry I know it's a DM link, but you can search up how many cases are in your area here www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11512027/Scarlet-fever-hotspots-revealed-kids-struck-area.html

“It's really worth remembering that if 9 children have died in the UK from Strep A, then another 1000 may have been hospitalised causing huge physical and mental trauma at enormous expense and burden on healthcare resources and another 10,000 may have been hit hard at home.”

I don’t think” it’s being blown out of proportion “ it helps to make people aware . Parents are right to be concerned more so about treatment then the infection. Many of those 9 children were turned away on more then 1 occasion for a infection that is treatable with antibiotics.

Good point @Sallydimebar . That's a helpful link @Beebz

Have now had an email from school to say they are stepping up hygiene and bringing back some Covid protocols like hand sanitizer and surface cleaning throughout the day. Is every school doing this, or is there an outbreak and they just aren't telling us about it? I'm glad they are being vigilant but it's really unsettled me.

@Beebz Local public health sent a letter with those recommendations to the schools in my area back in Sept (so before the deaths caused by Strep A ). It’s pretty standard stuff, so try not to let that add to your worries.

Thanks that's really good to know!

You’re welcome . It can be worrying to see that sort of official advice being sent out, as a parent, but certainly where I am we get it sent out to us every year and monitor the situation. We have “Scarlet Fever - 2 cases X Class” written on the board in the staffroom for example, ditto Chicken Pox cases, so all staff are aware.
Awareness campaigns are great, but I do think the media have taken this as their Doom Story of the month and run with it a bit But of course the state of the NHS isn’t helping with timely and efficient treatment in some areas. I’ve had to insist on symptoms being taken seriously for a health condition when my DS was a baby. It’s terrifying to have to stand your ground while being dismissed as an overly worried parent

I called 111 and the recorded message told me to go to 111 online. I went through the steps for my ds who has a fever and sore throat and at the end of the 111 online questions I was informed to contact my doctor. I called the GP and they said they don't have appointments today and only emergency appointments if you call on the day. The receptionist signposted me to 111, I called and didn't get through to an operator for 25 minutes so now I am keeping an eye on ds. I fear this will completely overwhelm the NHS and be the last nail in its coffin.

It feels like there is no medical care available to us. In a first world country. 😡