Strep A in school

[EUwannabe]

So- I’m not on either side of the fence on this at all but would love to know what others would do. AIBU to keep my primary child off school now a Step A case has been confirmed in the school? X

The rate of children getting the serious invasive type of strep A, is 2.3 per 100,000. So no, you don't need to keep your child off school.

The risk, though an increase on past years, is still exceptionally small. Your child might get strep A, but is extremely unlikely to get the invasive variant.

www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-update-on-scarlet-fever-and-invasive-group-a-strep

In very rare occasions, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause an illness called invasive Group A strep (iGAS). While still uncommon, there has been an increase in invasive Group A strep cases this year, particularly in children under 10. There were 2.3 cases per 100,000 children aged 1 to 4 compared to an average of 0.5 in the pre-pandemic seasons (2017 to 2019) and 1.1 cases per 100,000 children aged 5 to 9 compared to the pre-pandemic average of 0.3 (2017 to 2019) at the same time of the year.

Honestly why the hell would you spread this nonsense? Because you've seen it on Facebook it must be true?

fullfact.org/health/strep-a-flu-vaccine-children/

@SjR70 what a load of bollocks. A flu vaccine can’t give you a streptococcus infection, for a start the vast majority of us carry it in our nasal cavities already!

Also Flumist is not a registered trademark in the UK - that is the name used in the US. In the UK it is called Fluenz Tetra - so any credible sources would not be using that name when talking about flu vaccinations in the UK.

Key point there @SjR70 is "it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to vaccine exposure"

Why don't YOU go and look up the weekly deaths from flu last year @SjR70? They are quite easily accessible. Even if your kids aren't vulnerable (they are), others in the community are.

I'm so sick of this selfish fucking dullard narrative. Unless you can show your medical and epidemiology qualifications (not ones you got off Faebook) nobody should be listening to a word you say.

@SjR70 Do you understand what step A is - it's a spherical bacteria. The flu vaccine is a weakened virus, they are a completely different microbe, they aren't connected at all.

Where on earth did you get that "evidence" from?

@SjR70 You've just cut and paste that - what's the actual source?

@saraclara Hello again you posted on a different thread about this when I was having a bit of a panic! Thanks again for being so kind with your reply with the statistics. Very reassuring.

15 children and 47 adults have now died.
My DS is immunosuppressed and currently off school
BBC News - Strep A linked to deaths of 15 children across UK
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63903051

Is there an outbreak of Strep A infections? Otherwise, being immunocompromised is as risky during flu and norovirus season.

Scarlet fever was around when I was a kid, my mum reminded me a kid in my school died when I was there, it's sad but it's one of those infections that rise up periodically. No I wouldn't keep my kids off

If your child was stood in a crowd of 100,000 people and you knew 2 or 3 of them were going to be killed, would you leave them there?

I know that sounds dramatic and there is risk in life generally etc. But if those are the stats then I probably wouldn't send mine in.

Yes, but surely your/your child's personal risk goes up to above this level once you get a case in your school.

Because the 2.3 figure is an average that includes people who are at schools with no outbreak.

eg Just because the stats say no one in the UK was killed by an elephant in 2021, doesn't mean I have zero risk of being killed by one if I climb the fence at the zoo and roll around by the elephant's feet

Do you think I don't know?
He gets vaccinated for flu and a week off school if anyone is diagnosed and has 2 weeks off school if noro is around.
Yes, there is strep. The whole school is coughing and ill. It's an utter germ pit right now.
He's off with a chest infection for something else and will be off till the cases in the school settle.
He's on high dose steroids so even more immunosuppressed than normal.

In this case, those 2-3 people are not in a crowd of 100,000 - they are in the same school as your child. This changes the odds significantly. See my other post.

Good point and I think we are even more in agreement in that case!

I wouldn't.

(Wouldn't send them in, I mean!)

I was curious, that’s all. I’ve had an immunodeficiency since childhood.
Personally, I’ve not come across anyone isolating with outbreaks of noro or similar. I wonder if it’s new since covid…? I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just being nosy. I wouldn’t go to a play date (as a child!) if someone had noro but I’d attend school.

i probably wouldn’t send but I am very anxious. I think this is going to keep happening with the media the way it is.

Is this 2-3 people with invasive strep in the class or 2-3 with strep?

I’m worried sick, but remember that if it’s 2-3 with strep then it’s not the same as hospitalised with invasive strep. 1/4 all children have strep in their throats all the time. My little boy had tonsillitis every month for a long time. It was bacterial, so strep. He never passed it on to anyone else except my toddler (who got a mild case of scarlet fever, although this could have been from nursery).

There will be children with strep continually in your child’s school.

If it’s invasive strep then yes, I’d 100% be keeping them home