Strep A - are you worried?

[lucylollipop]

Apologies if there are already threads on this. I haven't seen any yet.

News in today that a 9th child has sadly died from strep a. I have primary school age dc and a young baby so I'm worried about them getting sick and also bringing bugs home to the rest of us.

I'm not clued up enough to know if this is comparable to flu deaths in kids? I suppose I just wondered if others are worried? Given the state on the NHS at the moment it isn't a great time to get unwell.

I’m trying to stay pragmatic about it.

Of course it’s a worry- a child very sadly died in our nearest big city yesterday from it.

But what can we do realistically other that be aware of the symptoms? I’m not about to take the dc out of school- dd has ASD and she benefits far too much out of the social interaction for that to be an option.

I am worried.
Does anyone know if hives are sign of Strep A? My DD flared up with hives yesterday on her face and neck. A little bit on her arms and legs too. She also felt warm too.
I’m only asking because hives can be the sign of your body fighting something whether it’s a virus, infection, allergic reaction etc..

@BeatrixPottery

Please don't stop antibiotics midway through a course they’re not smarties. There’s a major problem of antibiotic resistant infections due to the misuse of antibiotics. That most people don’t see because it mainly affects those children/adults who are incredibly sick/vulnerable.

The main thing is for children to be seen quickly and that is what parents need to be assertive about not the misuse of a vital drug.

I am concerned about it and keeping a close eye on both DS.
I was in childrens A&E yesterday (Sent there not a crazed parent) and it was completely mental I was there with a baby with a cough btw......but he also had a fever, fast tummy breathing and xray showed a serious lung infection (he also has bronchiolitis ontop of that).
It was crazy but the staff were doing a amazing job assessing everyone.

I think it's important for parents to follow their gut instinct but also look out for signs. I'm just hoping the baby doesn't get strep A after 5 hours there as it was very busy. There were 3 confirmed serious cases of infectious strep disease at the A&E I was in which is quite high (I was sat by the station).

I don't think it's a new strain but similar as with adenovirus and hepatitis lack of exposure has made immune system go crazy. Yet again social distancing and lockdowns effecting the youngest the most.

The doctors will give out the antibiotics based on their medical experience, knowledge and (thankfully) an understanding of the current situation (ie rates being unusually high and therefore much greater caution than they might have had a week ago when symptoms present).

If they have symptoms they should get antibiotics.
I don't think anyone is suggesting everyone with a cold should get them.

I’m worried but I have a tendency to health anxiety particularly when my kids are ill. Does anyone know If strep A can cause conjunctivitis? My dc has just had a nasty chest (prone to viral wheeze anyway) but this time had conjunctivitis with it. Also complained of sore throat but not terrible. Turns out a few in her class have had the same. I could rest easier if I knew they’d already had a strep infection this year and come out of it. We are rural SW too, interesting to hear it’s rife here as news reports make it sound like it’s much worse in cities.

last year I was worried about the post covid thing, this year it’s strep A. It’s hard to get in all in perspective with the media reporting on every tragic death.

I just wanted to say that when DS had scarlet fever his throat swab came back negative. He then developed strawberry tongue which is only seen with scarlet fever or Kawasaki disease (which he didn’t have) so it was definitely scarlet fever so kept on taking the antibiotics. If you have a negative swab but your child develops new scarlet fever symptoms then do see the GP again.

Antibiotics then stop if test indicates otherwise.

Perhaps read up on antibs resistance before going in shouting and making an arse of yourself.

Sorry I don't know if I'm thick but I'm confused, is strep a and Scarlett fever the same thing ?? I have an 8 year old and a ten week old and all this is making me really start to worry

Why does an ear infection in a baby trump potential strep A in a primary age child?

What if (god forbid) your child potentially had strep A and another child had an ear infection - would you still want the child with the ear infection to be prioritised? Or is it just your child that should get priority every time?

Strep A is the bacteria that causes scarlet fever so yes. X

I don't agree that 'children die every year from strep a, SV, sepsis etc' is the best argument.
Yes, they do.
But preventable deaths in children are just that... preventable.

SF that should say

To be honest we’ve done enough prioritising of elderly people and it’s time we put children first.

My grandson was the 1st child in the school next door in Ashford, Middx that got Strep A in Year 1. He was very unwell to begin with and went straight to A&E after a GP had seen him the same day - sent home with antibiotics and is back at school now. I do believe that him being seen quickly was key. My granddaughter is 10 months old and showed some signs of it, was given antibiotics just in case and is OK, still a bit grumpy and sporadic hot/cold but seems to be doing just fine. I think that if the child is seen quickly then there shouldn't be complications, but that's just from my recent experience with my grandchildren.

If in doubt - get help. I think GPs and A&E would be happier to help as a precaution than for children to die.

@Survey99 yep that’s probably part of why we’re here with this, doctors failing to prescribe antibiotics ( or test for what is actually causing they symptoms), in cases where they are needed because of the messaging around resistance. Of course antibiotics shouldn’t be handed out Willy nilly as a run of course, we all know that. But, when we have extremely high levels of a highly treatable bug when antibiotics are given quickly, which can kill some children if they’re not, and an NHS service which isn’t set up for testing quickly in any setting - if at all in the community. Then giving antibiotics when all symptoms point to that it could be a bacterial or equally a viral infection is sensible until testing indicates otherwise, I.e that it’s viral and self limiting.

Meant to say that the school in Ashford Middx where the first 6yr old sadly died.

I think lots are being pretty purposefully obtuse. The issue is that if lots of over anxious parents push for antibiotics because the news told them so then others will go without (either as they cannot get an appointment or there are shortages in the medication). Doctors should be able to make sensible decisions though, I don't think anyone for a moment would wish to deny a child at risk goes without, but if many have them just in case that creates different issues. Let's hope it doesn't become like covid where other illnesses aren't seen as much of a problem.

The next infection comes along and they've got less personal resources to manage it.

This is complete nonsense. Bacteria develop antibiotic resistance, not people.

Antibiotic over-prescribing is a real issue but use of a widely used very old-school antibiotic that's effective against Strep A, even this latest strain, is relatively low risk, given the risks associated with not treating it.

Okay so have I got this correct - Strep A is a bacteria that causes a few different infections like scarlet fever and impetigo ?
So you could have a standard infection that could then enter the blood stream and turn dangerous, is this correct ?

So what can make it become invasive ? And how exactly is it spread , is it airborne ?
Sorry just trying to be in the know

Then giving antibiotics when all symptoms point to that it could be a bacterial or equally a viral infection is sensible until testing indicates otherwise, I.e that it’s viral and self limiting.

You still are not getting it - "giving antibiotics......until testing indicates otherwise" is the issue.

Just because testing doesn't indicate Strep A or Scarlett fever does not mean the antibs are not working on other bacteria present in your body but not causing you any significant issues. If you stop the full course early the remaining bacteria can then become resistant to the antibs. This ignorance and not completing full courses of antibs is exactly why we have problems with bacterial resistance.

@Guitarbar no they don’t, because we don’t have community testing (America is a good comparison where if you or a child presented with a sore throat you’d be tested so they’d no if what was viral or bacterial and treat accordingly) in past, say when I was a child (40 now) they’d prescribe penicillin jic.

This is absolutely not the right thing to do, but not because others will go without, no one did, because of resistance. However as we are where we are in terms of not being set up for managing it properly, we can’t have children paying for that with their lives whilst we have extremely and much higher than usual levels of this bug circulating.

You sound lovely

Agree, this is my concern too.
My oldest is currently mildly unwell with sore throat and some congestion so I’m keeping an eye on her but at this stage, there is nothing to indicate anything more than a viral infection. I know a few who have experienced it recently and one of her friends spent 2 nights in hospital so the prospect is scary but it’s even scarier that we may not get fast medical attention when needed because too few GPs and they plus A&E are clogged up with over anxious parents.

Complete lack of awareness towards the huge issue that is antibiotic resistance. Using this method will mean that the antibiotics will soon stop being effective for those with the bacterial infection. Then what’s your solution…?

The answer is setting up community testing via pharmacies etc. Covid showed us all these things are possible when the government is willing so that would be the next step